


all we do is drive.

by romantasha



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 2023, Adventure, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergent After 7x11, Daniel Sousa is hopeless in the 21st century, Driving, F/M, Fluff, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Post-Blip, Post-Canon, Post-Finale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, Unresolved Sexual Tension, it's a miracle they don't crash, legend of the girl without a license and the guy who only knows how to drive stick, likely AU by the finale, luckily Daisy is there to help, neither of them are good drivers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romantasha/pseuds/romantasha
Summary: Daisy has missed the open road. She used to always love taking her van out and just driving. Los Angeles was where she liked to stick around, but she would always go on these road trips just because she wanted to explore somewhere new.She's always liked running away from things.It was different, having someone with her.-In which Daisy Johnson helps Daniel Sousa explore the modern world by taking him on a cross-country road trip in a van. Post-Finale road trip AU with MCU tie-ins.
Relationships: Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Deke Shaw & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Skye | Daisy Johnson & Daniel Sousa, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 315
Kudos: 711





	1. PART 1 — all we do is think about the feelings that we hide.

**Author's Note:**

> So.
> 
> This fic is a bit loaded, but certainly not with plot. It's long. It's fluffy. It's got a touch of angst because we all know these kids have some major PTSD.
> 
> I have a few little notes that might help you all figure out the context a bit.
> 
> \- It's canon as of 7x10, and I hope 7x11 won't blow it out of the water, but I assume it will not work out with the finale. Hence why I'm writing it now.  
> \- After the team finishes the mission, they jump to 2023 into the MCU timeline. The team disbands.  
> \- Daisy has not told Daniel about the time loop kiss.  
> \- There's a lot of MCU mentions here, but don't expect the characters to pop up. It's a lot of talking, and just that.  
> \- The M rating is mainly due to explicit language. It's honestly not that intense — as long as you listen to modern rap, you're already used to all this. It's just better safe than sorry. I'm still debating how much I want to embrace that M rating.  
> \- There will be four installments to this, I think. It was getting way too long and four parts makes the most sense with the overall "plot" (as if there was one) — it's sort of the four stages of their developing relationship.
> 
> And there you have it. Most of all that is obvious in the fic, but I figured you should have a good idea what you're getting into. A truly self-indulgent Dousy fic.
> 
> You can still turn back now.
> 
> No?
> 
> Okay, well, enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All in all, she thinks that it's Daniel who takes the most away from her little pilgrimage to the Tower.
> 
> She's glad he got a little closure, even if it wasn't all happy.
> 
> Daisy can only hope for the same.

**13:18 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.9748° N, 75.9108° W**

  
  


Daisy's not entirely sure what compelled her to do this.

By this, she's not even sure if she means the cross-country journey she's just agreed to, or leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., or well… Anything, really.

She just knows it's exactly what she needs right now.

It's Daniel's turn to drive, so she's got some time to stare out of the side window and ponder life.

The past few weeks have been really hard on the both of them. Daniel — she vaguely wonders when they referred to each other on a first-name basis — was plucked out of his time and Daisy…

Well, Daisy doesn't exist.

When the team arrived back to the "present" (more like the future, for them), she quickly realizes that the lack of her existence is nothing but a nuisance, as the world was thrust into chaos because of _the Blip_ , as it's been dubbed.

(The team was lucky enough to jump some time after everything was resolved, but from what they gathered, half the population had disappeared into dust and the world was left at a messy stand-still. She vaguely wonders that if they had jumped back to 2018, if she would've faded along with the rest. She tries not to think about whether or not she would've come back.)

They landed only some weeks after the Blip, so the world was still rejoicing and the damage was being fixed.

Creating new identities was easier than it ever had been due to the amount of displaced citizens, so Daisy was able to make government records for both her and Daniel with ease. They didn't even have to change their names, which was an immense relief to the both of them.

It was the only piece of their existence that they were able to cling onto.

And then, _somehow_ , she suggested that Daniel should take a road trip of sorts to see what life is like in the modern-day and then, for reasons unknown to her, she offered to be his travel-buddy. Perhaps it was because she needed a distraction from the everlasting pain in her life. Maybe she wanted to see for herself how things had changed after five years. (It didn't much.)

Either way, she was headed to Los Angeles in her van — which, yes, was an old, abandoned van she found at River's End — and Daniel was, too. It was the place they each individually considered home at some point, even if it was sixty years apart.

So, here they were. Taking a road trip across the United States.

And once they arrived in Los Angeles, it would be time to go their separate ways.

  
  
  
  


**13:33 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.8601° N, 76.0055° W**

  
  


"Get your feet off the dash," Daniel tells her, in the kindest way.

She scrunches her nose childishly. "Don't be such an old man."

"Old man?" he questions. "It's just proper."

He's smiling, so she knows he doesn't think it's that serious.

"It's my van," she mumbles, but she takes her feet down nonetheless.

  
  
  
  


**13:45 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.7351° N, 76.0588° W**

  
  


They've been sitting in silence, and half an hour in, Daisy can't stand the quiet. She presses a button and turns on the radio. Immediately, some rap song pops up.

She only gets to enjoy it for about ten seconds before Daniel shuts it off in horror. "What is — _that_?!"

"It's Nicki Minaj," Daisy replies, " _Obviously_."

She flicks the radio back on. It blasts the fun beats and, she suddenly realizes, a large amount of swear words and very dirty lyrics. They've been so busy trying to save time that they didn't have much time to get into the little things like music or movies.

She flashes him a grin. "Music is different here. Get used to it, grandpa."

Daniel looks so affronted that she has no choice but to loudly sing to it. You know, for science.

" _WE'RE HIGHER THAN A MOTHERFU_ — "

"DAISY!" he yells. The car swerves.

Oh, this is gonna be _fun_.

  
  
  
  


**14:08 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.4062° N, 76.1258° W**

  
  


Eventually, Daisy puts him out of his misery and switches it to some oldies station.

(She kind of had no choice after he nearly crashed after she belted a line that went along the lines of: _Can you lick the tip then throat the dick or nah?_

It was good fun, but she doesn't want to die because the man was too scandalized to properly operate a vehicle.

Also, it was just an awful thing to sing, because now she can't help but think about it. She tries to block the vivid picture that comes into her mind.)

But, to his dismay, oldies are still between ten and thirty years ahead of his time, which makes him _ancient_.

Daniel likes the music a lot better than whatever monstrosities were playing earlier, though, so it's a nice compromise.

It's a bit different than what he's used to, but he really likes Elton John.

  
  
  
  


**14:42 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.0481° N, 76.1474° W**

  
  


They stop in Syracuse to take a quick look at the Museum of Science and Technology. It wasn't necessarily in their plan originally — not that they really had much of a plan except _drive_ and _forget_ — but it seemed to be an appropriate stop. Maybe Daniel could learn a thing or two.

He finds that he's particularly interested in the space exhibit. It was one of the few things he gathered happened in between his time and Daisy's, as the Zephyr did have the ability to travel to space-time. The space race period began right after he was plucked out of time.

"Hey, who knows," Daisy chips in, "Maybe you inspired it. You _were_ supposedly killed by Russians, according to the U.S. government."

Daniel finds the idea amusing, yet the tiny spark of possibility adds to the collection of reasons he knows it's best he had to leave the life he knew. Who knows what might have happened if he continued living on.

"That Blip thing?" he asks, unfinished, and Daisy gives him a questioning look. "Do you think that happened because of the timeline change?"

She considers it for a minute. "Honestly, I'm not sure. The events seem similar, I mean, Thanos did come to Earth. I think I committed worldly genocide before the Blip happened, though."

Daniel gives her a blank look.

"Oh, right," she supplies, "I was supposedly the Destroyer of Worlds. We traveled seventy years into the future, where all that was left of humanity was in the Lighthouse, floating around in space."

"You destroyed the world?"

"Well, it was either me or Graviton. Or, I guess, it could have been Ruby. The jury's still out on that whole situation."

Daniel blinks a few times. Then, he shakes his head. "I'm not even going to ask."

  
  
  
  


**16:03 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **43.0481° N, 76.1474° W**

  
  


They spend nearly two hours going through the exhibits at the museum. In addition to space travel, Daniel catches up on radios, power grids, energy, and a bunch of other modern-day advancements. It's quite fascinating.

Daisy does her best to answer all his questions, but she does have to tell him that her expertise doesn't go much further than how to work a computer. She's brilliant at that, but she's not going to be able to help him if he asks how electricity works.

(She got a bit of a glare at that.

"I know what electricity is," he said firmly, "I'm not _that_ behind.")

When they're back in the car — Daisy at the wheel, this time — she looks longingly at the nearby Starbucks she spots.

"If it weren't late afternoon, I would absolutely introduce you to Starbucks," Daisy vows.

"What's Starbucks?" he asks.

"Only the best coffee in the world."

  
  
  
  


**18:24 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **41.4090° N, 75.6624° W**

  
  


"I can drive the rest," he offers after they take a short break to get gas and food.

("The workers don't do it for you?" he asked about the tank.

He almost got a heart attack at the prices. To her, they're absurdly cheap. Half the world disappearing then reappearing will do that, she supposes.

She's glad she went to get the food herself. She's not sure how he would react to the inner workings of a twenty-first-century gas station.)

"Oh, no, thank you," she replies. She tries to be nice about it, but she says it firmly.

He frowns. "Really, I don't mind — "

"Let's save your automatic driving practice for when we're in the open road, Danny Boy."

"I didn't do that bad earlier," he mumbles under his breath. She hears him and scoffs.

She looks around, curious. "I think this is the city where The Office takes place," she muses.

"Do you mean some secret S.H.I.E.L.D. office or something?"

She laughs. "Oh, you have much to learn, young Padawan."

"What's a Padawan?"

That only makes her laugh harder.

She doesn't know the last time she's felt this _free_.

  
  
  
  


**20:22 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **40.7357° N, 74.1724° W**

  
  


The sun has set by the time New York City becomes visible.

"It's so _bright_ ," he marvels. "And so much bigger."

He definitely notices the difference in traffic, and he can't say he's a fan of that.

  
  
  
  


**20:32 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


They arrive at the hotel a little after nine. It's not that late, but she thinks Daniel might get a heart attack if they explore the city now. He already looks so utterly starstruck just with her driving through the city. And besides, driving is exhausting.

She's got just half a mind to notice how dingy the place is, while Daniel looks around at awe at how modern it looks. The difference in their world views is outstanding, but it gives her a little bit of life.

He looks at the keycard with a bit of a funny expression, but she steals it from his hands before he can think about it too hard. "Watch and learn," she says with a smirk and slides it into place. The door gives a little _beep_ and they're in.

It's a small room with two twin beds. Daisy managed to gather quite a bit of money — yes, illegally, but not from anyone who will miss it — but she has to make it last, so they're on a bit of a budget. She debated just sleeping in the van like the old days, but she can't imagine that Daniel would be down for that.

He deserves to explore 2023 with some comforts, at least.

Daniel drops the bags in front of the beds. He clears his throat. "Which one do you want?" he asks politely. She shrugs, uncaring. He hesitantly picks the bed closest to the window and looks out in the street.

"I would've pegged you as the kind of guy to want to be close to the door," she comments.

"I can switch if you — "

"No, no," she clarifies, "just an observation."

He looks back out the window and she takes off her earrings.

It's not until she places her earrings down on the shared nightstand that it hits her how... _domestic_ all of this is. It's ridiculous, because she's shared hotel rooms with so many of the agents — even _Lincoln_ — and she never quite felt like this before. She stares in the nothingness for an embarrassingly long time, before Daniel snaps her out of it by asking, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Hm?"

Daisy lifts her head up and sees Daniel staring at the flatscreen TV in front of their beds. It's a small, modest one, which fits the theme of the room, but it's still miles further than the TVs he was used to. TV's weren't necessarily too common in the '50s — the surge began more in the '60s — but it was still recognizable to him.

Maybe they had some at the museum, she can't recall. She should've taken him to see the exhibit that had the IMAX theatre.

She nods. "Wanna watch a movie?" she asks.

"I wouldn't know where to start."

"Well, luckily for you, I am a movie connoisseur of sorts. I'll do the choosing," she replies. After a second, he smiles in agreement. "Cool, let me rinse off and then we can watch something."

  
  
  
  


**21:07 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


In hindsight, Daisy should've thought her sleepwear choice out more fully.

That's the brief thought she has when she steps out of the bathroom in her usual sports bra and baggy-yet-fitted sweatpants and she sees Daniel nearly short-circuit.

Well, in reality, it was more like his eyes darkened for a second before politely looking away, but, well, Daisy prefers to think of it as short-circuiting.

At least she didn't go with the sport shorts.

Daniel has changed into his sleepwear already and laying comfortably across the bed as he goes back to reading his paperback book. She set him up with an iPhone before they left, and a laptop, but he has yet to really touch either of them.

(She was sure to at least train him on how to call her in case they got separated, of course. And she made him prove that he paid attention to her. So, he's used his phone a total of one time. She's the tiniest bit bitter, because she took her time loading the phone with ebooks and music playlists for him to explore.)

She gets situated in her bed and clears her throat. "So, do you prefer aliens or robots?"

Daniel shoots her a deadpan look.

"Right, too much of that in real life," she fills in for him. "How about a good old-fashioned rom-com?"

"I don't know what a rom-com is, but I'll watch whatever you put on."

It takes her some deliberation, but she ends up settling on a Disney movie.

  
  
  
  


**22:21 est  
** **december 9, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


Daisy dozes off during the movie.

When Daniel notices that she isn't responding to his little comments on the movie anymore, he looks at her and smiles softly.

"Goodnight, Daisy."

"Night," she mumbles back, half-asleep.

  
  
  
  


**07:51 est  
** **december 10, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


Daisy wakes up very suddenly.

It's actually the second time she's woken up that morning, her body still being attuned to her early morning workouts, but she let herself fall back asleep. She's not an agent right now. She can do what she wants.

She springs up out of bed as soon as the sound of banging reaches her ears. Someone is trying to get into the room.

She looks around and sees that Daniel isn't anywhere to be seen. "Daniel?" she calls out in a hushed whisper.

No response.

The handle jiggles and then she hears a frustrated groan. Daisy relaxes her stance as she realizes it's Daniel on the other side.

She walks over and opens the door. He stands awkwardly with a cup of Starbucks coffee in one hand and the keycard in the other. She raises an eyebrow.

"I couldn't figure out how this works," he tries to explain. His shoulders droop. "The coffee's for you."

She grabs the cup from him. "Thanks." She then grabs the keycard and shows him how it's done. "Just insert it, take it out, then wait for the light to go green. Kind of like a credit card."

"What?"

Daisy shakes her head with a fond smile. "Nevermind, you don't know what that is either." She takes a sip of coffee. She moans. "Oh, Starbucks, how I love you." She pauses. "Hang on, you went to Starbucks yourself?"

He shrugs. "You said you liked it."

"And you didn't, I don't know, combust from the modern era of coffee?"

Daniel scrunches his nose in distaste. "I don't understand why they have to make everything so complicated."

"It's an art," Daisy clarifies. "But you did alright with this order."

"It was expensive," he tells her. "I could've bought five pounds of coffee for the amount I had to shell out for that cup."

"Inflation will do that."

She sips her coffee in silence for a few minutes before something catches her eye.

(What Daisy doesn't know is how embarrassingly long he spent in the Starbucks. He stared at the menu for ages, bewildered.

"Since when did the meaning of 'tall' change?"

The barista eventually noticed his confusion and gathered that it's his first time in the shop. She gladly helped him with his order, suggesting a few of their popular drinks.

She's seen the occasional lost boyfriend enough times.)

"Hey, why does this cup say 'Confused Dude's Girlfriend' on it?"

  
  
  
  


**09:46 est  
** **december 10, 2023  
** **40.7549° N, 73.9840° W**

  
  


The first thing they do in the big city is visit Avengers Tower. It's more for Daisy's benefit than Daniel's, but it's an essential bit of history, she justifies.

It looks so different from the last time she saw it. But it doesn't really matter, because that's not what she's here for.

She's here for the vast collection of memorials that the public has put together. Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America...

"The last time I was here, I was a totally different person," she explains to Daniel. "I came here as a cosplayer."

"What's a cosplayer?" he asks.

Daisy rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. "You know, it's not important. But Tony Stark was a big inspiration to me."

"Stark?" His eyes widen at the name. "As in, Howard Stark?"

"You knew him, right?" Daniel nods solemnly. "Tony was his son. He became Iron Man."

"I'm sure Howard loved that."

Daisy frowns. "He, uh, never actually got to that point. He died in a car accident with his wife in the '90s."

Daniel steps back, shocked by the news. Daisy reaches out to touch his shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry," is all she can say.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised. I jumped seventy years into the future, everyone I know is bound to be gone by now," he says thickly, "but I hoped it was more peaceful."

"Peggy Carter passed away only a couple years before we left on the Zephyr," she tells him. "She did a lot of amazing work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and has a family dedicated to the cause."

He gives a sad smile at that. "I'm glad to hear that, at least." Daisy rubs his shoulder and gives a small smile back. After a moment, Daniel has the courage to ask, "Did she have a good life? With Rogers? Captain America?"

Daisy has a moment of bewilderment, then sorrow. "He went down in the ice," she says.

"Yes," he replies, confused. "But then he came back."

"In 2011."

"No, in 1949," Daniel clarifies. "Peggy married him."

Daisy blinks. "Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America," she starts slowly, "was frozen and not found until the twenty-first century. He was a part of the Avengers."

He laughs it off awkwardly. Impossible. "I think you're confused. Captain America was a figure. They probably brought the costume and name back."

She shakes her head. "Come on, look." She leads him to a nearby wall full of photos of all the fallen Avengers. She points at a picture of Steve Rogers. "Captain America was a figure, but Steve Rogers was the person."

Daniel looks at the photo with disbelief. Then, he laughs. "Probably used the fancy time machine you've got," he reasons.

"Yeah, I really doubt that," Daisy responds. "But maybe he did time travel. Maybe they made some of their own timeline messes."

It's a lot to think about.

All in all, she thinks that it's Daniel who takes the most away from her little pilgrimage to the Tower.

She's glad he got a little closure, even if it wasn't all happy.

Daisy can only hope for the same.

  
  
  
  


**11:34 est  
** **december 11, 2023  
** **40.7549° N, 73.9840° W**

  
  


Daisy does get to quake some asshole who tries to steal an old lady's purse on the subway. What? She can be a superhero still, even if she's on vacation.

  
  
  
  


**14:58 est  
** **december 12, 2023  
** **40.7549° N, 73.9840° W**

  
  


The one great thing about visiting New York in December is all the holiday fun. It's usually pretty intense in the big city, with decorations everywhere, but this year it's increased tenfold. Half the population was just revived, so the world has a lot of cheer to offer.

("Do you celebrate Christmas?" Daisy asked Daniel delicately upon seeing a large Christmas tree on display.

"I suppose I do," he responded. "But it wasn't that important to me. I was usually working. What about you?"

"Well, the nuns were big believers, but it was always hard to enjoy it when all the media preach about it being some great family time and you didn't have one. And with the team, we celebrated, but missions took precedent."

They sat in silence for a minute after that. Then, Daisy added, "Plus, it was August for me just like, a month ago. I don't think the Christmas spirit is hitting me."

"Oh, yeah, that," Daniel laughed lightly. "I should be living in August right about now, actually.")

Though, it was kind of hard to ignore it all between all the decorations put up and the chill winter air that they suffered through in every outing. So, while they were fairly determined to not celebrate Christmas Day this year, they were going to enjoy the holiday spirit and all it had to offer.

Which means, of course, ice skating, to Daisy's delight and Daniel's dismay.

  
  
  
  


**21:41 est  
** **december 13, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


They briefly discuss where they're going next.

Daisy debates between Chicago and Nashville. She almost chooses Nashville because the southern route leads to the Grand Canyon, but then Daniel quickly points out that the Grand Canyon has existed for thousands of years. He's seen it.

She settles on the northern route because Google Maps says it's technically an hour fast and she can take him to Cedar Point. And Las Vegas.

She also suggests a detour to DC, which he agrees to. He's curious to see what the U.S. government has been up to, outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Neither of them wants to leave New York quite yet.

  
  
  
  


**20:12 est  
** **december 15, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


They've spent nearly a week in New York at this point, and Daisy is hit with the fact she knows how to read Daniel now. He's right when he says everything fazes him, even if he doesn't show it. Over all the time they've spent together, she starts to see the gears turning, how he reacts to everything.

It's subtle, but she understands each and every little tell.

It kind of comes as a shock to her. She tries not to think about how in tune they can be.

(The week, overall, has been fun and freeing. They do things on a whim, just because they can. They go to museums, they watch Broadway shows, they shop for new clothes, they eat all the food they can get their hands on... She teaches him texting and selfies and all the ways of the modern world.

They've got a comfortable routine going as well. He brings her coffee every morning and they train together — though, it's mainly stretching that can be accomplished on their individual twin beds, as that's about all the room they have. At night, they brush their teeth side by side (it's efficient) and always watch a movie before going to bed. Most times, she begins to doze off.

He says goodnight every night without fail.

Daisy finds quickly that she's been longing for this kind of break for a while.)

After dinner one night, he gives her what he thinks is a sly look she wouldn't notice, but she can read him now. She notices.

"What are you planning?" she asks suspiciously.

Daniel laughs at her accusation. "Okay, I did some of that Googling you showed me — "

"You did?" she asks, excited.

"A little," he admits, "and I found that one of my old joints is still up and running."

She's not entirely sure where he's going with this.

"You've spent some time showing me some things," he says. "Now, let me show you a piece of my world."

Of course, she agrees. He's done absolutely everything she's wanted since they got to New York — even ice skating — so she agrees.

The bar isn't too far from their hotel, so they walk there in the chilly winter air. If this were some silly romcom movie (which, she has yet to show him, because she doesn't want to give herself _ideas_ ), he would've given her his coat, even though she has a decent one of her own. But, this isn't a rom-com movie.

They arrive at the bar and Daisy smiles softly at the excitement in Daniel's eyes.

The excitement quickly fades into a frown as they step inside.

The bar, while obviously vintage, has gone through some modern redecorating. It's got LED lights all around — some Christmas themed, but overall, it's obviously a usual part of the bar theme — with pop music playing. Daisy quickly realizes that it's been converted into a hipster bar.

"Well, this certainly isn't what I remember," Daniel says.

"What was it like before?" she asks him.

He shrugs. "Lively, but cozy. There was an area where everyone would dance. They played good music every week."

"Dancing, huh?" Daisy prompts, smiling slightly. He nods. "Well, dancing certainly has a modern form. Come on, let's change and I'll take you to a club."

  
  
  
  


**22:37 est  
** **december 15, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


In hindsight, going clubbing was probably an awful idea. For a multitude of reasons.

The primary ones being (a) how he looks in his nice shirt and slacks and (b) how he's looking at her in her extremely tight, backless shirt and high heels. It's been a while since she brought out the fun clothes. She misses it.

Daisy pretends not to notice his gaze, which isn't too hard, since he's doing really well at being a gentleman about it. And she tries not to stare too much herself.

Daniel immediately doesn't like the music before they even enter the building. It's booming from the outside. "It's your weird _rap_ music," Daniel mutters.

"Actually, this is dance music," she clarifies.

His arms flail around a bit. "How do people _dance_ to this?!"

Someone nearby yells a loud, "FUCK," and Daniel immediately turns red. Daisy laughs.

"Weren't you a soldier? I'd imagine you cursed a lot," she says lightly.

He blushes madly. "Not usually in the presence of..."

"A lady?" Daisy finishes for him, raising an eyebrow. "Well, cussing is normal here. I don't usually include it in my regular vocabulary because I don't see a reason, but you can cuss all you want and no one will care." She pauses, thinking about her statement. She amends, "Just don't do it in front of a grandma, or something. Or in a formal situation."

"Got it," he says, but his tone indicates he doesn't really understand.

Daisy leads him inside and immediately, they're met with the view of hundreds of drunk and horny dancers, grinding upon each other. She grins upon seeing Daniel's scandalized expression.

"This," she yells over the music, "is the world of modern dancing."

Daniel gulps.

She takes some pity on him. "Come on, let's go to the bar. It's more fun after several drinks."

"I doubt that," he mumbles. Nonetheless, she drags him to a nearby bar and orders them drinks. He rubs his ears uncomfortably. Boy, if he thinks it's loud now, imagine his pain when they enter the actual dance area.

Daisy is quick to down several shots. She didn't exactly come with the plan to get hammered, but upon observing one couple grinding heavily on each other while the guy kisses the girl's neck, she decides she's gonna need a few drinks.

(She has a line of tequila that she's going down, which leaves Daniel staring at her in a mix of awe and concern. It helps her forget the idea of him grinding against her like that.)

Afterward, she holds out her hand. He takes it hesitantly, and she leads him to the dance floor. She promised him modern dancing, she tells herself. She can't back out now.

His hand feels warm and heavy in hers. She likes it.

They end up in the midst of it all, and Daisy starts off slow. Dance moves that the friend groups — not the couples — are pulling off. The twists, shakes, and bumps.

"This is kind of fun," Daniel tries to yell.

"What?"

He shakes his head, but smiles.

After a couple songs, they head back to the bar. He's gotten a taste of modern dancing now. Ball's in his court.

"That wasn't too bad," he tells her. She smiles.

"I used to go clubbing a lot when I was younger. I was usually pretty high, though."

Daniel raises a questioning eyebrow at that. Daisy just smiles slyly. The alcohol's getting into her system now; she's feeling pleasantly drunk. She orders another drink. This time it's just a regular cocktail, rather than more shots.

Daniel points to some couples grinding in a way that's far too much. "What in God's name is _that_?"

She scrunches her brow. "It's called grinding. Which is usually enough as it is already, _that_ is just embarrassing."

This reassures him a tiny bit. "So, the time period has a line, at least."

They spend a little while nursing drinks and commenting on the dancers. Her head's starting to spin and she's laughing more than she's maybe ever had.

(Daisy had to fend off a few men who tried to call her "baby" and offered to buy her a drink. Daniel nearly punched them himself, but she assured him that she had it under control.

She got to quake a few of them off her, which is always a good time.

And, she got to tell Daniel about that time an alien propositioned her on Kitson.

"I guess men never change," she said.)

It suddenly hit her like a freight train that she hasn't gotten this drunk since Lincoln. Unwillingly high, drugged, or otherwise, yes, but going to some trashy bar or club and just drinking until it all goes away...

The weight of her emotions drags her down and she clings onto Daniel for dear life.

"Take me home," she whispers. There's no way he can hear that over the music, but somehow, he understands.

She vaguely realizes, as he drags her out of the club, that she doesn't have a home.

Not anymore.

  
  
  
  


**15:02 est  
** **july 4, 1976  
****41.2638° N, 74.3822° W**

  
  


("We are going home, Agent Johnson," Daniel told her once, "We're going home. But you have got to _fight_."

And fight she did.)

  
  
  
  


**00:06 est  
** **december 16, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


Daisy pukes in the toilet as soon as they get back to the hotel. She would have half a mind to feel embarrassed as Daniel holds her hair back, but she's crying too hard to care.

Everything in her world has felt wrong since Lincoln died. She doesn't think she can ever get that piece of herself back.

"I'm here, whatever you need," he tells her. And he means it, more than he's ever meant anything in his life.

"I never asked for that," she sobs, clinging onto his shirt.

He presses a gentle kiss to the top of her head to reassure her. "You didn't have to."

  
  
  
  


**00:54 est  
** **december 16, 2023  
** **40.7128° N, 74.0060° W**

  
  


He stays with her as she cries on the floor of the bathroom, stroking her hair and holding her close. It reminds her painfully of when she was dying on the floor of that barn, clinging onto his words about survival and home.

This time, he doesn't speak a word. He's just _there_.

Eventually, her sobs reduce to tears and he tucks her into bed. She's never felt this cared for, this loved, in so long. Her heart pangs painfully. And hopefully, all the same.

"His name was Lincoln," she starts. "I loved him and he died."

Daniel doesn't know what to respond to that, so Daisy continues.

"He died for me."

"I'm sorry," he settles on after a minute. It's a typical response, but something about the way he says it makes Daisy feel like he truly means it.

They agree to leave New York in the morning.

  
  
  
  


**11:13 est  
** **december 16, 2023  
** **38.9072° N, 77.0369° W**

  
  


By early morning, Daisy pushes aside her trauma — which she knows isn't the healthiest option, but it's the only thing she knows how to do — and her hangover, and three hours later, they're in DC.

(This time, she let him drive. It was a bit anxiety-inducing, but Daniel was right — his driving isn't that awful when she's not shocking him with the vulgar lyrics of explicit songs. Automatic gears are easy to get used to.)

They make good use of their day because as it happens, the tourist side DC hasn't changed a significant amount since Daniel's time, so they decide that they'll continue on the next morning.

She avoids the typical, boring presidential areas that he's probably seen and instead focuses on walking tours about all the protests that have taken place in the capital. She thinks it's more important than the orange man in the White House, anyway, but she does brush him up on the history of the presidents.

("Wait, how did _he_ become President?" Daniel asks, multiple times, about multiple people. Daisy can't quite answer that one.)

They also try to get into the Pentagon, where Daisy knows all the fun things are happening, but it turns out that a woman who doesn't exist anymore and a man who died seventy years ago don't show up in the authorized databases, even with proper S.H.I.E.L.D. identification.

The Blip doesn't work as an excuse for that one.

They're lucky to leave the place without getting arrested.

  
  
  
  


**22:46 est  
** **december 16, 2023  
** **38.9072° N, 77.0369° W**

  
  


After a long day going around DC along with the severe lack of sleep from the previous night, they're exhausted. Since they're only there for a short night and DC can be expensive, Daisy's immediate thought is to sleep in her van, but she remembers that Daniel is with her. He deserves something nicer.

Instead, they agree to stay in a hostel. It's cheap and easy and keeps things simple, except —

"You're all set. Men on the right, women on the left," the concierge tells them.

This makes Daisy pause. "We're separated?"

The concierge nods pleasantly. "Our hostel is split by men and women."

Daisy casts a glance at Daniel. He doesn't seem too worried — this is probably normal for his time — but he frowns upon seeing her hesitancy.

It's only for a night, she reasons. And it's not like Daniel isn't capable of taking care of himself. A lot of this is new to him, yes, but he's taken it all in stride. But after last night, something in her aches at the thought of being separated.

"Are there any co-ed rooms?" she asks.

"No, but I can upgrade you to a normal room across the street if the two of you would like to stay together. It'll be triple the price."

Daisy looks at Daniel again, who nods. "We'll take it," he tells the concierge.

They pay up and head over to their room across the street. And Daisy's so relieved. She simply can't wait until she can collapse into a nice bed —

Daniel is the first one to notice. He stares in horror.

"Daisy," he starts, "there's only one bed."

She groans. Of course the universe would taunt her this way. This is payback for never telling Daniel the truth about the time loops. About their kiss. It's trying to force her to admit her attraction to him.

But she's not ready for that.

"Whatever," she says. "We can share. It's only one night."

The look he sends her is the most afraid she's ever seen him. Then, suddenly, it _clicks_. He's a man out of his time and sharing a bed with a woman, whom he isn't married to — isn't even _seeing_ — is likely very frowned upon.

She tries to give him a reassuring smile. "I promise, in the future, friends sharing a bed isn't scandalous." She thinks about the statement for a second. "I mean, as scandalous as in the '50s."

Daniel audibly gulps. He sets his bag down. "I don't mind taking — "

"You are not sleeping in a chair," Daisy says firmly. "Relax, I won't bite."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he mumbles.

Daisy tries really hard to not think about the implications of that. She sits on the bed — _her side of the bed_ , she thinks delicately — and takes off her shoes. Daniel excuses himself to the bathroom, taking his sleepwear and toiletries with him.

It's the first time this week she doesn't go brush her teeth beside him.

Yes, she's aware exactly how domestic those thoughts are. It makes her tingle a little.

She takes the opportunity to rifle through her duffle and grab some comfortable clothes. It's hot out, so she debates her typical sports bra, but opts for the draw-string sweatpants and light sweater to keep Daniel from combusting. It's just their luck. And the universe's sick, twisted game.

She changes in record time and she's left awkwardly fiddling with her toiletries while she waits for Daniel to be done in the bathroom. Luckily, she doesn't have to wait too long before the door hesitantly opens, him peeking out into the room to ensure Daisy is dressed, before stepping out.

"All yours," he says awkwardly.

  
  
  
  


**05:29 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **38.9072° N, 77.0369° W**

  
  


The rest of the night was fairly uneventful. He awkwardly stood by the bed until she got in first, then made sure that he was at the furthest edge of the bed, ensuring he would not be touching her.

They fell asleep pretty quickly.

It's the morning after that's...interesting, to say the least.

Daisy's eyes flutter open as it's still dark. It takes a minute to recall her surroundings, but she feels safe. Warm. Cuddled.

Wait.

Her eyes snap open quickly. She looks down.

Yup, cuddled.

Daniel's got an arm draped around her middle. She feels his breath tickling the back of her neck.

She knows she should probably get him off her. Put him back in a proper position where they're at an appropriate distance before he wakes up.

Instead, she lets herself get lost in the feel of his embrace for a little while longer.

Her last thought before she drifts away is that she thinks she could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it. Part 1 of this monstrosity.
> 
> Most of the fic is written (and boy, is it long for something with essentially zero plot), so I should be posting it over the next week or so. It's mainly just trying to figure out how far I'll take the M rating.


	2. PART 2 — i had you on the open road and now we're singing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Another fun fact," Daisy cackles, "is that I never actually got my driver's license."
> 
> Daniel blanches and she laughs even more.
> 
> She feels lighter than she has in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Round 2, here we go!

**06:53 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **38.9072° N, 77.0369° W**

  
  


When Daisy wakes up again, she's alone.

She tries not to feel disappointed.

  
  
  
  


**08:11 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **39.0840° N, 77.1528° W**

  
  


They're on the road again soon enough.

Daisy feels oddly at ease as they drive down the highway with a hand on the wheel and the radio on the oldies channel, but she quickly notices that Daniel isn't.

"What's up?" she asks him.

He's confused. "What do you mean?"

"Is there anything wrong?" she presses. He awkwardly fumbles with the button for the window, finding it very interesting all of a sudden.

(He got over the fact that he didn't have to physically roll them down on day one. She knows it's a ploy.)

He takes a minute to gather his thoughts.

He settles on saying, "I don't want to make you...uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?"

"I'm sorry if I was inappropriate at all last night. I know I woke up in a bit of a," he awkwardly clears his throat, "compromising position. I just wanted to assure you that it wasn't my intention."

Daisy suddenly has flashes of his arms around her, pulling her close, his body pressed against her own —

_Uncomfortable_ is definitely not the word she'd use to describe how she felt.

She debates many flirtatious jokes that would definitely be classified as inappropriate, but she bites her tongue. He already looks like he's about to jump out of the moving van or something.

"It's okay," she responds. She gives him a reassuring smile. "I didn't mind."

She's not sure if that was the right thing to say either, because his eyes widen a bit and he looks absolutely everywhere he can except at her. Not wanting to torture him anymore, she focuses back on the road ahead.

They stay silent for a while after that.

She thinks about how it was the first night in years she slept in peace.

  
  
  
  


**10:34 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **39.9992° N, 78.2388° W**

  
  


"What are you gonna do when you get to L.A?" Daisy asks casually. "I mean, apart from the job."

(Before the team disbanded — along with Daisy forging new identities — some old connections gave Daniel a job as a high-level enforcement officer of a private organization and a place to live. A way to integrate into society and be a normal person in the twenty-first century.

Daisy was offered the same opportunity.

She didn't take it.)

Daniel shrugs. "Make myself a new life, I suppose." He turns and gives her a smile. "What about you?" he follows up.

Daisy doesn't answer. She stares at the road determinedly.

(In fact, she was offered a chance to work for Nick Fury himself. The team vouched for her and her past, insisting that she used to exist. Fury thought that a ghost like her would be invaluable, let alone one that was a skilled spy and powerful Inhuman.

She didn't take that either.)

"What was your life before?" she asks instead.

"Busy," he tells her, "but I loved my job."

Daisy understands the feeling. Her life was thrown into chaos as soon as S.H.I.E.L.D. entered it, but she loved it. Throughout all the pain, the horror, the trauma...

They were her family and she loved them.

"Must've been interesting to be the West Coast Chief," she comments.

He barks out a laugh. "You could say that. Leading is not always easy."

Finally, she smiles. "Oh, I know."

He turns to her with a raised eyebrow.

"I was technically Director for a little bit," Daisy clarifies. "Temporarily. As a stand-in."

"Oh, really?" He's impressed, looking at her with his soft eyes and a large grin. She can't help but smile back, even if she has to stay focused on the road. "So, you outrank me?"

"I outrank you, anyway," she replies cheekily.

He admires her for a second. Daisy glances at him for a quick second and gives an awkward laugh. "What?" she asks.

Daniel shakes his head, but the expression doesn't go away. "Nothing," he says finally.

"No, really, what?" she presses.

"It's just," he starts, "you're always full of surprises, _Quake_."

It makes her look at him and give a genuine smile. She stares at him for a moment too long because his eye catches something and —

"Car!" he yells and she swerves.

It's a momentary panic before the car is back in the proper lane and they just... Laugh.

"Another fun fact," Daisy cackles, "is that I never actually got my driver's license."

Daniel blanches and she laughs even more.

She feels lighter than she has in _years_.  
  


  
  
  


**11:31 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **40.0084° N, 79.0781° W**

  
  


After a gas stop, they switch places. Now, he drives and she gets to play on her phone.

("You were just joking about the license, right?" Daniel asked her.

She just smiled slyly and walked off to shop.

"You were just joking, right? Right?!" he called out after her. "She was just joking," he muttered to himself.

When she got back, he insisted it was his turn to take the wheel.)

She's learned that he still doesn't take well to a little robot in a box telling him where to go, so she becomes his navigator when she's a passenger. She still uses Google Maps, but she tells him the directions.

He likes hearing her voice, she finds.

Daisy has missed the open road. She used to always love taking her van out and just _driving_. Los Angeles was where she liked to stick around, but she would always go on these road trips just because she wanted to explore somewhere new.

She's always liked running away from things.

It was different, having someone with her.

A good different, she decides after a while.

  
  
  
  


**15:23 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **40.4406° N, 79.9959° W**

  
  


They stopped in Pittsburgh for what was meant to be a quick lunch, but ended up doing a full Segway tour after Daisy saw them pass by.

(Yes, she did do it purely for the amusement of seeing Daniel try to figure out a Segway.)

It goes well, all things considered.

They also pass through an art museum and grab a few snacks before going on the road again.

  
  
  
  


**15:49 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **40.6532° N, 80.0795° W**

  
  


She finally gets Daniel to sing with her.

("I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles" started playing on the radio and Daisy had no choice but to turn the volume way up and start belting along with it. It's a reference she can't ignore.)

The chorus is easy enough to get the hang of and join in easily, so by the second time around, she waves him along and she starts singing.

The two of them bounce to the beat, tilting back and forth. Daisy does her best to do a marching dance in her seat, pretending to sing into a microphone. He's a little confused by her actions, but he gets the idea.

It's been years since Daisy has had the chance to do things just for the _fun_ of it. And looking at the pure joy she keeps seeing spread across Daniel's face, she thinks it's likely the same for him.

  
  
  
  


**16:56 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **41.1884° N, 80.9781° W**

  
  


She cracks open the package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Daniel eyes it curiously. "What are those?" he asks.

"Deliciousness."

He chuckles. "That doesn't narrow it down."

Daisy takes a bite out of one. "It's peanut butter covered in chocolate." His eyebrows scrunch together, intrigued. "Want some?" she asks.

He hesitates, then nods. She holds the remaining piece next to his mouth and lets him take a bite. She sucks in her lips, trying to hold in her smile as he chews and forms a pleasant expression.

"It's not bad," he says.

"I'm glad you think so," Daisy responds, "because I have a lot more."

She pulls out another package and hands it to him. His hand grazes hers as she grabs it, and she feels something. A spark. Her stomach clenches and she looks at him to see him ignoring the road, staring right back at her.

"Watch the road, soldier," she says weakly, but it works, because he looks away.

  
  
  
  


**18:21 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **41.4993° N, 81.6944° W**

  
  


They have dinner when they reach Cleveland. She finally manages to take him to get sushi, which isn't necessarily her top favorite food, but she knows it's something that wasn't common in 1950s America.

Plus, she wants to see how he reacts when she stuffs some squid in her mouth.

It's a fairly formal place, which makes Daisy feel underdressed in her tight jeans and sweater. Daniel, of course, somehow always looks formal enough, even in casual modern-day wear.

"So, never have had sushi, huh?" she asks when they are seated at the bar. She orders for the both of them, because she knows he would be clueless.

He shakes his head. "We had this little thing called World War 2 and the Japanese were our enemy."

"Well, we're at war with China but I think the American population would die out if they got rid of Chinese takeout," she quips. Daniel frowns, so she adds, "Not a literal war. A trade war."

He nods, somewhat understanding.

"Eating raw fish sounds...risky."

"Oh, it is," she responds nonchalantly, grabbing some edamame. He pales. "But don't worry too much, it's like a tiny chance if it's a good place. Just don't go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and you'll be grand."

She quickly switches the subject before he decides this is the worst idea she's ever had and bolts out of the door. "How's food in the twenty-first?"

"Oh, so much better. We used to boil everything, no flavor," he says.

Daisy smiles softly. "Oh, but the processing is terrible for our health. Chemicals everywhere." He pauses with the edamame. "But, as you said, so much better than boiling everything," she adds as a weird kind of reassurance.

"So," he begins to question, "what other kinds of food haven't you introduced me to, yet?"

She thinks about it for a second. "I mean, a lot. But Thai, I don't think you had Thai?" He shakes his head in confirmation. "I'm sure lots of African and South American type foods weren't common in the '50s. Maybe Indian?"

"Looks like there's a lot more to explore than Chinese, Italian, and Mexican."

"There's a whole world's worth," she clarifies. "Oh, and I wouldn't say Taco Bell counts as 'Mexican'."

(No, she refuses to regret taking him to Taco Bell as one of their first meals on their trip. She was craving it.)

"Then what is it?" he asks curiously.

She blinks. "I don't even know," she replies honestly, "but not Mexican."

He stares suspiciously at the fish when the order arrives, then hopelessly at the chopsticks. Daisy digs in immediately, but pauses when she sees Daniel hesitating.

She has to grab his hand to quickly show him how to use the utensil. He's a bit terrible at it, but she has faith that he'll figure it out.

"Come on," she pushes. "Live a little!"

"I've been living a lot," he grumbles, but he takes a piece of sushi.

He decides it isn't half bad.

  
  
  
  


**23:09 est  
** **december 17, 2023  
** **41.4993° N, 81.6944° W**

  
  


She has nightmares every night.

Daisy is sure that Daniel hasn't really noticed the extent of them, though. While her nightmares can get violent — leaving her quaking the room apart — she hasn't lost control in his presence yet. Instead, it's the kind of nightmares that have her snapping her eyes open, unable to fall back asleep.

(She realized a while ago that it was because they weren't truly nightmares. They were memories.

Of all the people who've left her. Who've died.

_Coulson._

_Lincoln._

_Trip._

_Jiaying._

She can never rest. Every time she closes her eyes, they visit her.

She wonders painfully if Daniel will ever be one of them.)

Last night — when Daniel's arms were holding her close, his heartbeat against her back, his breathing in tune with hers — was the first time she wasn't haunted by her past. She felt at peace.

She longs for the feeling again.

She thinks Daniel has nightmares, too. She watches him sleep sometimes, when she has nothing left to do but stare at the ceiling or at him, and she notices that he frowns a lot. He doesn't know it — he's slumbering — but she sees the subtle twitch as his expression changes from serene to troubled. Then, after, she notices a shift in his breathing pattern. He doesn't open his eyes, but she knows he's awake.

He's good at pretending like unconsciousness isn't where the war comes back to life.

  
  
  
  


**09:23 est  
** **december 18, 2023  
** **41.4562° N, 82.7117° W**

  
  


She _almost_ convinces him to go to Cedar Point with her. She's driving, which means that unless he wants to pick up her phone and redirect Google Maps (which, he won't), he doesn't really have much of a say in the matter.

She has a feeling that it would be a laugh to see him flying down the roller coasters, praying to a higher power that he doesn't fall out, trying his hardest not to scream for his life.

It's those exact reasons Daniel rejects the idea flat out.

But, he amends afterward, he'd do it for her, if she really wanted to go.

"Do you like roller coasters?" he asks only a couple of miles before she hits the fork in the road that decides whether or not they go.

And suddenly, Daisy doesn't know the answer to that. She has to think about it. "I used to," she says confidently. But now?

Isn't that the question.

"I used to love roller coasters. I found a way to sneak into Six Flags all the time."

"And now?" he pushes.

"Now, I can fly by directing enough vibrations to the ground," she says without thinking, "and I think it makes me sick to my stomach."

Well.

There's her answer.

They agree to skip the roller coasters.

  
  
  
  


**12:01 est  
** **december 18, 2023  
** **41.6348° N, 84.9994° W**

  
  


Daisy decides that singing in the car with Daniel might be one of her most favorite things.

She's always enjoyed singing. When driving hours upon hours all alone, over and over again, music is the key. She'd plug in her phone or, if she wanted to discover something new, she'd turn on the radio. She'd get a groove of the song and immediately start singing. Half the time, she didn't even know the lyrics, so she'd mumble incoherently at a loud volume.

(They always stuck to the radio unless she wanted to play a specific song, because she hasn't had much time to discover anything new since becoming a superpowered agent — except the quick audio recognition she'd do when she'd hear a cool song to vibe to while out on a public mission — and the Blip/time travel had ensured she missed a good five years of music anyway.)

It wasn't quite the same with someone else with her, but she found it to be fun and easy with Daniel. She was the more knowledgeable one and he would pathetically try to figure out the lyrics, usually singing a few beats behind.

She loved it.

And the adoring look that Daniel would give her after she nailed a song perfectly and did a little victory punch made her love it even more.

It might not be the singing she loves so much, she briefly thinks before shoving the thought away.

  
  
  
  


**14:18 est  
** **december 11, 2023  
** **40.7549° N, 73.9840° W**

  
  


(She realizes, in hindsight, that Daniel might have tried to kiss her in New York.

They briefly passed Saint Agnes Orphanage and she told him about her childhood. She didn't talk about the trauma, the everlasting pain in her gut when she thinks about Mary Sue Poots and her dreams of a family. But she did tell him about the scary nuns and how S.H.I.E.L.D. arranged for her to jump from foster home to foster home.

Then, always, eventually, back to Saint Agnes.

No, she didn't tell him about the trauma, but she didn't need to. He immediately understood her hurt and was there for her.

It was later that he looked longingly into her eyes and she could've sworn he was leaning in —

And then some rude asshole in a hurry bumped into them and the moment was lost.

Daniel seemed so nonchalant afterward that she figured that she imagined the whole thing. She didn't think of it again, until now.)

  
  
  
  


**15:12 cst  
** **december 18, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


It's a good thing they arrive in Chicago during daylight, because it's snowing by the time they reach their hotel. She's not sure if she trusts either of them to drive in the snow in the dark. It's like a double suicide mission — a girl without a proper license and a guy who only knows how to drive cars from the '50s.

There's a noticeable temperature drop and suddenly the sweaters they have at a reachable distance are not quite good enough, so Daniel holds her close and rubs his arm up and down her back in an attempt to warm her up as they make their way inside.

She almost tells him that their heavier coats are right at the back of the van and a quick trip to the boot would give them what they needed, but she holds off.

  
  
  
  


**19:38 cst  
** **december 18, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


That night, they snuggle up in their individual beds and start to binge "Stranger Things" on Netflix. She thought it'd be a good show to express the '80s nostalgia and Daisy wants to get him used to the concept of modern television shows, because there's a few she wants to catch up on.

She's weirdly grateful that a majority of the media has come to a standstill in the last five years. She doesn't have to worry about catching up on that much — apart from the long list of things she never had a chance to get to while working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

She casts a guilty look at Daniel, remembering that he has seventy years of worldly knowledge to catch up on, and here she was complaining in her thoughts about five stolen years.

They don't get through more than two episodes of "Stranger Things" due to Daniel constantly asking what was real and what isn't.

Weird alien-like creatures from another dimension are too palpable in their reality.

  
  
  
  


**10:42 cst  
** **december 19, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


In the morning, they explore. The snow has stopped, leaving the city covered in a peaceful, white blanket.

"I haven't seen snow in a while," Daniel explains. "There was some almost every winter in Idaho when I was a child, and some in New York later on, but L.A. never really saw snow."

"No," she agrees, "it doesn't."

They hope to stay in Chicago for a few days. Not as long as they stayed in New York — but they both quietly suspect that the problem was New York is that it brought them back to a different time, a time where they were different people, and everything in their lives had changed as significantly as the city.

They've both been to Chicago before, exactly seventy years apart — Daisy in 2018, Daniel in 1948.

Daisy tries not to think too hard about the last time she was in Chicago.

It was the city where she realized that Coulson was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

(It was also the city where she was supposed to be a part in the literal destruction of the world, but, hey, it didn't happen in her timeline.)

Yet, she shows Daniel where the crater that the force of her cracking body hitting the ground should have been. The buildings she flew by as Talbot was forcing her into a downward spiral and she was convinced that she was gonna die.

She wonders who saved the world if she didn't exist.

Then, she remembers the Blip. How the date that everyone disappeared in dust was moments before the world was supposed to crack like an egg.

So, she wonders if Talbot was one of the ones who went away. She wonders who stopped him when he Blipped back.

Once again, she wonders if she existed here, if she would have disappeared, too.

  
  
  
  


**18:07 cst  
** **december 19, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


They're at dinner when she overhears a family talking about visiting some relatives up in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The city name punches her in the gut. It was the place her father had called _home_ once upon a time. Where he had a clinic that everyone loved. Where he planned to raise his _daughter_ , to have a _family_.

She doesn't know why it didn't hit her before. Milwaukee is so close to Chicago — only an hour or two away — and she could probably do a day trip there, even with the snow.

The nausea stirs in her belly as she realizes she's never quite taken the time to really think about her dad's life without Jiaying. She's vaguely thought about her own existence, the things that affected her...

But she has never truly sat down and thought about the life that Cal Johnson would lead.

Was he even in Milwaukee?

Was he happy?

Was he happy without _her_?

She tries not to think about the answers.

  
  
  
  


**23:49 cst  
** **december 19, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


At night, when she can't sleep, curiosity gets the better of her.

Daisy pulls out her laptop and starts searching.

  
  
  
  


**06:21 cst  
** **december 20, 2023  
** **41.8781° N, 87.6298° W**

  
  


"Hey, Daniel, get up," Daisy pleads as she shakes him awake. He blinks awake blearily, a little startled to see Daisy sitting on his bed, hovering over him.

"What is it?" he asks sleepily.

She shakes him a little more. "I need to go to Milwaukee," she says.

"Now?" he asks.

"Yeah."

He sits up, blinking slowly. He sighs and rolls his shoulders a bit.

Another glance at Daisy, and he knows she's deadly serious. "Okay," he tells her. "Let's go then."

She beams and hugs him quickly. He only has a second to grunt before she's already pulled herself off of him, jumping up to pack their belongings.

She's grateful that he doesn't ask why.

  
  
  
  


**07:56 cst  
** **december 20, 2023  
** **41.9868° N, 87.8722° W**

  
  


Of course, it doesn't take him that long to ask why, so that gratefulness is short-lived. She's at least glad they're on the road and it's a little too late for him to change his mind and turn back.

It's why she was quick to jump in the driver's seat before Daniel could protest. He can't stop her from driving without running them off the road, and it's not like she'll run out of gas before they get there.

(She ignores how this might technically count as kidnapping. But, hey, it wouldn't be the first time.

At least it's just to a different city, not a different _time_.)

It's a foolproof plan.

So, when he finally asks, "Why Milwaukee?" it's very easy for her to answer.

"My dad's there," she says.

It's silent for a moment.

"Oh," he says. "You want to visit your dad?"

"Yes."

She says it quick and harsh, hoping to give him the hint that she doesn't want a lecture about it. He doesn't listen.

"Daisy, this might not be the best — "

"I searched the web and he has a clinic in Milwaukee, just like he did in my timeline. In that timeline, he opened it, and then met my mom while abroad in China, and then she got pregnant. The plan was always to come back and raise me in Milwaukee."

"That's a nice story," he starts, "but — "

"I've seen him after his memory was wiped, so this won't bother me," she tells him.

"Wait, memory wipe?"

"Yeah, TAHITI, whatever," she brushes past, "I've gone through this before. I just want to see his life now. He's probably had a much happier one without my mom."

"But you're not in it," he says. She's not sure what fractures her heart more: The fact that it's true that she has never been a part of her father's life — not in this timeline, anyway — or how _broken_ Daniel sounds when he says it.

She swallows.

"It's better that way," she settles on.

Daniel stares at her, full of worry and concern. He can't possibly imagine a world that's better without Daisy.

It's silent the rest of the way to Milwaukee.

  
  
  
  


**09:42 cst  
** **december 20, 2023  
** **43.0389° N, 87.9065° W**

  
  


When they finally arrive at Cal's clinic, Daisy can't bring herself to step out of the van, or even open the door.

(Each time, it goes like this:

She stops the engine.

She pulls the key back.

She takes her foot off the brake.

She reaches for the door handle.

She can't pull it.

She starts all over again.)

She finds herself circling around the block over and over, until Daniel points out they're out of gas and they have to take a break from the trail she's been leading to find a nearby station.

This goes on for three hours.

(She had a plan. She was going to go to the clinic for some bullshit sniffle that the winter chill has given her, and get to talk to her father. She'd ask him some non-invasive questions about his life and his practice, and he'd answer her. They'd have a pleasant conversation, nothing too deep. He'd give her the all-clear for the sniffle and she'd give him a final smile and then leave his life for good.)

She feels so pathetic. She's faced killer robots and alien worlds and alternate universes. She's faced her father after a memory wipe.

So, why was she so scared?

"You don't have to do this, you know," Daniel tries.

But Daisy is determined.

"Yes, I do."

  
  
  
  


**12:58 cst  
** **december 20, 2023  
** **43.0389° N, 87.9065° W**

  
  


Eventually, Daisy has the courage to step out of the van — sort of.

It's probably because she sees him leaving the clinic for his lunch break and she pushes the door open violently. She's about to take that step, put her foot on the ground outside the van —

"Daddy!" a little blonde girl calls from nearby and Cal is quick to turn around.

Daisy stops dead in her tracks.

Sure enough, the young girl — probably nine or ten years old — jumps into her father's arms and he spins her around, grinning like the whole world is in his view. "There's my little Lilykins!" he says as he puts her back down on the ground. "Now, Lily, where did your big sister go?"

Daisy can't look away. Her face is frozen, staring at the scene in front of her. She needs to get away, she needs to run, _she needs to not be here_.

And then...

Cal looks right at her.

She stops breathing.

"Daisy!" he calls softly from the distance.

Her heart beats hard against her chest, threatening to jump up to her throat. She's paralyzed, speechless. How could he possibly remember her..?

"Daisy, come here!" Cal calls again.

Daniel grabs her arm lightly, in warning, but she doesn't heed it. "Daisy," he whispers. He's not looking at Cal, though, he's looking behind her.

Daisy opens her mouth to speak, to say something, _anything_ , and then —

"Hold on, I'm coming!" another voice behind her calls out.

And she shatters.

Another girl — in her later teens, Daisy figures — looks suspiciously similar to the young girl (and nothing like Daisy). She runs over to the family and rubs the top of Lily's head affectionately. The little one jumps up and down excitedly. "Guess what, Daisy! Guess what I did!"

Whatever else is said, Daisy doesn't hear it. She falls limp, collapsing back into the seat of the van.

It hits her suddenly that the reason she could not step out of the van earlier was because she's been down this road before, and not in the way that she thought. This was nothing like seeing her father after TAHITI, which left her bittersweet. The memory wipe was a mercy to him. It gave him peace after years upon years of violence and suffering. No, seeing this new version of her dad was more like meeting the version of her mother from before Hydra ripped her apart, which left Daisy's soul crippled.

Her mother was _good_. Daisy finally met the version of her mother she always hoped for — one that loved her family and believed in them no matter what.

For Jiaying, it was Kora and _not her_.

For Cal, it was Lily and the version of Daisy that was _not her_.

(Later, Daisy finds out that her replacement — Cal's new Daisy — was a victim of the Blip. He had lost her for five years, but he didn't turn into a monster. Then, his Daisy returned to him, without him ever having to lose his humanity.)

Her eyes never leave her father, doting upon his loving daughters. They're living the life she's always begged for. One where S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra never tore her world apart, separating her from her parents as a baby. One where her father was an honorable doctor and her mother was an Inhuman that loved everyone she met so implicitly that she dedicated her life to helping them.

She's now seen the life both of her parents led before Daisy had a chance to ruin them.

At some point, Daniel closes his hand around hers, caressing it tenderly as she watches. She doesn't notice. "We can still go talk to him, if you want," he tells her softly. His voice is muffled in her ears.

She spends a while staring at her father and his happy family — one that didn't involve her.

"There's nothing for me here," she says finally.

The world was better off without her.

  
  
  
  


**14:16 cst  
** **december 20, 2023  
** **43.0389° N, 87.9065° W**

  
  


Daniel drives them out of Milwaukee. Daisy crawls to the back of the van and closes the dividing curtain. She leans against the wall of the van and brings her knees to her chest.

She lets the tears fall. She's sick and tired of pretending like everything's okay. Like she can handle the weight of everything she's lost.

She cries for the baby girl who was found in a dead agent's arms. She cries for the young girl in the orphanage, hopeful that her parents will someday come for her. She cries for the beaten girl who begged for a foster family that would love her. She cries for Skye, who never gave up, who found her family even if they weren't who she thought they were. Then, finally, she cries for Daisy Johnson, the woman who's lost everything, the woman who doesn't even exist.

Daisy doesn't stop crying until the van reaches the hotel.

  
  
  
  


**00:00:00  
** **loop 127  
** **RA 19h 39m 58s | Dec +41° 16′ 9″**

  
  


(In the time loops, Daniel was brutally honest with her.

"You'll keep running at the problem full-tilt until you either solve it or slam headlong into a brick wall," he said.

Daisy smiled a little. "Some of those walls are literal."

"I know."

"But how does that…"

"Because when people like you run into those walls, you should have someone there to pick you back up," he finished.

And he meant it.)

  
  
  
  


**00:17 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **42.2711° N, 89.0940° W**

  
  


Later that night, Daniel wakes her up from a bad dream. She screams as she comes to, nearly quaking him in the process, but he holds her steady.

He always does.

"Hey, hey," he whispers, trying to calm her. His hands frame her face, delicately holding her and staring into her eyes. They're still stained from her earlier tears. "It was just a dream."

Daisy gasps heavily, reeling from the nightmare. She doesn't quite remember much, but it leaves her shaking. She assumes it was about her father. About the monstrosity that he became because of her.

Looking around the room, it looks like she was shaking things in her sleep, too. Everything is crooked and all the furniture is a few inches off where it should be. Daniel continues to lull her into a calmness. She knows he's there for whatever she needs.

_You should have someone to pick you back up._

Those words feel like a lifetime ago and the sentiment sits heavy in her heart. Yet, she finds herself leaning toward him, clinging onto his presence as she drowns in her feelings.

"Does the war ever come back to haunt you?" she asks him a few minutes later, voice thick and emotional.

He doesn't respond at first. She worries that she might have crossed a line, but then, he replies, "Constantly."

She shifts in her bed to face him and he does the same. They stare at each other and, even though they're not touching anymore, it feels so _intimate_.

"But you're always so...calm."

Daniel gives her a rueful smile. "Years and years of talking it out. It'll never go away, but I know how to handle it when it comes around."

"I've always _handled_ it," she whispers, "but it keeps bubbling over. I don't know what to do anymore."

"That's because you compartmentalize. You're not processing it. The rubber band always snaps eventually if you put it under too much stress."

He says it nicely, but Daisy catches the traces of bitterness in his voice. Her breath catches. She's drowning, gasping, trying to grasp onto something to save her from the vast void that's swallowing her —

"You have to let yourself feel something sometimes."

And she _surfaces_.

She finally _sees_ him.

"Make me feel something," she breathes.

And then she kisses him hard, leaving him no questions about the loaded meaning.

He's frozen for a second, but is then quick to grab onto her hips and return the kiss. He kisses her in a way that makes her weak and she sighs into his mouth. She rolls him over so that she's straddling him, pressing their bodies together and sliding against him.

He pulls away slightly. "Are you sure about this?" he asks tenderly, pushing one side of her hair behind her ear so he can see her face.

"Shut up and fuck me," is all she says. She hopes he's gathered by now that sex is more open these days. She claws at his shoulders, trying to pull him to her, desperate and wanting.

He laughs quietly and she feels the vibration of it against her body. "I thought you said you didn't swear much."

"I said I don't see the point," she growls. "Right now, there's a fucking point." She kisses him, a little more softly than before, and pulls away again. "I want this," she whispers sincerely.

He doesn't hesitate to pull her down to him after that.

  
  
  
  


**03:52 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **42.2711° N, 89.0940° W**

  
  


Daisy wakes up full of regret.

It's not that she regrets the sex — it was _amazing_ — but she feels as if she might have taken advantage of him. He doesn't even know that it wasn't their first kiss.

The guilt wears her down as she peels herself off of him. He groans at the loss of her warmth. "Daisy..." he mumbles in his sleep. A sharp pain stabs at her heart.

She's not a fool. She's seen how Daniel stares at her when he thinks she isn't looking back. She knows the depth of what just happened.

(She thinks about the three little words she's sure he whispered against her skin while her head was thrown back, her thighs clenching against his hips, gasping out his name as she saw stars.)

She spends the rest of the night in her van, cold and shivering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, forgive me.
> 
> (It's my birthday in a couple of hours, so I think I deserve a free pass.)
> 
> Next up, semi Christmas in Las Vegas!
> 
> I always love a good comment.


	3. PART 3 — all we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She does have Daniel, she knows. But then she's suddenly reminded of the point of this trip; how at the end of the road, he'll leave her behind in Los Angeles. And she'll go back to a life she's always lived — one filled with loneliness.
> 
> She mourns him already.
> 
> So, she keeps driving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pleased to say that with 7x11, this fic remains canon-compliant! I was very worried it might blow this whole storyline out of the water (Dousy-wise, I mean — for the timeline, we can pretend the finale fixes that), but instead it perfectly complimented the plot I have going.
> 
> Now, I know a lot of people are mad at me about that cliffhanger from P2.
> 
> I'm not sorry.

**08:12 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **41.8661° N, 89.2212° W**

  
  


They don't talk about what happened.

(They don't talk about how she moaned his name over and over.

They don't talk about how good it felt when she sank down on him. That it was like they just found a missing part of themselves.

They don't talk about how they've never felt anything quite like it.

They don't talk about how she thinks she might have heard him whisper that he loved her as she came.

And they certainly don't talk about how he woke up alone.)

She's not sure whether to be relieved or frustrated.

She doesn't want to deal with it right now, she knows. There's still a pit in her stomach and the guilt weighs her down. But she thought, given where he's from, that sex would mean something to him, enough to want to talk it through.

A part of her wishes that he would just say something.

But something's shifted in their dynamic. He's less stiff around her.

She knows, logically, that his confidence is because he knows now that she feels the same attraction. That he doesn't have to walk on eggshells to be polite.

A tiny worry lingers in the back of her mind that it might actually be because he thinks differently of her now. Maybe he's realized she's not all that.

Maybe he'll happily forget about their night together. Just like he, quite literally, forgot about their kiss.

Everyone she loves ends up leaving her.

It's not all death. She doesn't blame those who died for leaving an emptiness inside her — no, for that, she only blames herself. But there are so many who willingly leave her. Leave her gasping for breath as she begs them to stay.

She thinks of the team and how they all went onto live better lives. Disbanding S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving her with nothing.

No, not nothing.

She does have Daniel, she knows. But then she's suddenly reminded of the point of this trip; how at the end of the road, he'll leave her behind in Los Angeles. And she'll go back to a life she's always lived — one filled with loneliness.

She mourns him already.

So, she keeps driving.

  
  
  
  


**11:39 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **41.6611° N, 91.5302° W**

  
  


They don't talk about much of anything, actually.

(He tried to initiate some casual conversations, feeling more and more confident to instigate them. After a while of her curt answers, he tried turning on the radio to the hip stations, hoping to bring a smile to her face. She didn't sing either.

In fact, she turned the radio off.

He eventually got the hint that she wasn't in the mood to do anything, so he left her alone.)

The snow slows their driving time down a significant amount. Daisy's always been overly prepared when it comes to driving conditions, so they didn't need to worry about any of that, but it's still annoying.

When they're getting gas and sandwiches, Daniel offers to take a driving shift.

"No," she says firmly, "I'd like to drive."

So, she keeps driving.

  
  
  
  


**15:31 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **41.2565° N, 95.9345° W**

  
  


"I should really take over," Daniel insists the next time they take a pit stop. It's not snowing in this area, so she can't really use that as an excuse.

"I just want to drive," she tells him. Upon seeing his unhappy look, she adds, "Please."

It's honest, in the end. Driving is what is keeping Daisy sane at this point. It reminds her of the old days, when she didn't depend on anyone, had nothing but hopeless dreams. Sometimes she longs to go back to being Skye. She thought she lived a life of pain and loneliness then, but it pales in comparison to now.

He sighs and nods. "Fine," he concedes.

Daisy plugs the music to her phone and plays the most depressing playlist she has.

She does her best to disregard the anguished expressions Daniel keeps sending her.

So, she keeps driving.

  
  
  
  


**19:13 cst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **40.6993° N, 99.0817° W**

  
  


"I'll drive the rest of the way," Daniel says firmly when Daisy's eyes begin to turn red with strain and exhaustion.

"We're almost there," Daisy says, determined. "It's stupid to stop just to switch now."

"Where is 'there'? Where are we going?"

She huffs. "Just someplace I know. We'll get there soon."

He gives her a worried look, but stops pressing the issue. "If you say so," he replies finally.

He ends up falling asleep quickly after that, exhaustion taking him.

So, she keeps driving.

  
  
  
  


**23:11 mst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **40.6878° N, 103.0083° W**

  
  


Later, Daniel blinks awake. His nose scrunches up and he looks around at his surroundings. It seems different.

It's dark.

He looks at Daisy, who is staring ahead at the road.

"Where are we?" he asks, his voice thick with sleep.

Daisy looks around. "Uh, Colorado, I think."

This makes him spring awake. "You said we were close."

"Well, we were well into Nebraska when you fell asleep."

"How long have I been out?"

"I don't know," Daisy responds. "A few hours."

He looks at the handy little clock in the van and sees the time. He groans. "Daisy, we should stop."

"No," she says firmly, "I'm fine."

"You've been driving for hours. You need to rest."

"I'm fine," she grits out again. "We can make it to Denver."

"I know you didn't get enough sleep last night, so what we're gonna do is stop and get a room as soon as we see a vacant motel," he tells her sternly.

Her breath hitches.

It's the first time he's mentioned anything about the previous night and anger boils up within her. How dare he? How dare he act like it was just an inconvenience to their sleep schedules? She grits her teeth.

Right on cue, the fuel level indicator beeps out, telling them it's running out of gas. She narrows her eyes and quietly concedes to stopping for the night. Mainly because she knows Daniel will probably steal the keys if she even tries to stop for gas at this point.

"I know you're upset about your dad, but you need — "

She laughs ruefully. That's what he thinks this is about?

(She pushes away the fact that it kind of is what it's about. Partially. She's so deathly afraid that the man in front of her will abandon her — feelings that came full force after seeing her father — that she refuses to let him in.)

"You have no idea what I need," she says harshly.

As soon as a motel becomes visible, she swerves violently into the lot and slams the brakes to park the car.

"You happy now?" she asks him cruelly as she slams the door.

She does her best to ignore the hurt expression that flashes across his face.

  
  
  
  


**23:49 mst  
** **december 21, 2023  
** **40.6255° N, 103.2077° W**

  
  


They get ready for bed in silence. She doesn't brush her teeth with him, or stick to any of their nightly routines.

At some point, as she's walking past him, Daniel gently grasps onto her arm. Before she can even debate why, she violently wrenches herself away from him.

He frowns, but lets her go.

"Goodnight," he says after she gets into the bed, determinedly keeping her back to his side of the room.

Daisy doesn't say goodnight back.

  
  
  
  


**00:18:42  
** **november 8, 1983  
** **RA 1h 19m 34s | Dec +4° 5′ 35″**

  
  


(What Daisy doesn't remember, because she wasn't awake for it, was Mack's warnings to Daniel.

"What are your intentions?" Mack asked, leaving Daniel confused.

"Sir?"

"With Daisy," he clarified. Which didn't clear things up a bit, actually.

"I, don't," he awkwardly tries to say, "have any intentions..."

"Well, you better get some," Mack insisted, "and quick. 'Cause this thing is coming for you."

Daniel was more confused than ever.

"This...thing?"

Mack sighed. "She's into you."

Oh.

_Oh_.

Daniel suddenly understood.

"And I'm not even sure if she knows it, yet," Mack continued, "but pretty soon, she'll figure it out, and when she does..." He trailed off for a moment as Daniel looked back at Daisy. "Watch out, because when she gets something into her head — "

"She won't stop," Daniel finished. "Yeah, I noticed."

He couldn't help but feel excited at the idea of it all, though.

"But listen," Mack said seriously, "she's been hurt. Bad."

Daniel looked back at Daisy. He could believe that, entirely. He had noticed that she keeps her guard suspiciously up. He wondered what had hurt her.

"So, I'm happy she's ready to dive back in, and I'm happy it's you — I like you. You seem like a good man."

Daniel is honored at that prospect, though a little embarrassed. This man was technically his boss and he was giving him The Talk. "Thanks, I — "

"Even if you are a little...you know..." Mack made a motion with his hand. "Straight-ahead."

Daniel frowns. "Wait, is that bad?"

Mack ignores him. "But," he continued decisively, "I'm not about to let her get hurt again. You hear what I'm saying?"

"I think so. I think you're threatening me," Daniel concluded. He adds, since it's his superior officer: "Sir."

"No," Mack clarified, and Daniel immediately felt a little relieved. But, he's not finished. "Not just me. Every member of this team."

Oh.

Daniel was sufficiently terrified.

"And we have technology at S.H.I.E.L.D. that you've never even seen — "

"I hear you," Daniel quickly cut in. "Loud and clear."

But, Daisy was worth it.

"I would never hurt her," he finally said.

He would be sure to give her all the time she needed to figure it out.)

  
  
  
  


**08:09 mst  
** **december 22, 2023  
** **40.5478° N, 103.2697° W**

  
  


Early the next morning, they're back on the road. They start out just as quiet as the previous day.

Daniel, interestingly enough, actually pulls out the iPhone pretty much the second they got on the road. She's tempted to ask him what he's up to, but —

She has to keep her distance.

It's for his own good.

He deserves someone far better than her.

  
  
  
  


**12:28 mst  
** **december 22, 2023  
** **39.5505° N, 107.3248° W**

  
  


Daniel's been suspiciously quiet the whole time she's driving, his eyes mainly glued to the phone. He's reading something, she'd been able to gather from the glances she steals.

(She could never get a good look, because every time she tried, he would glance right back at her and she would be forced to pretend like she's been staring ahead at the road the whole time.

And every time he would look up at her, he would see her sour expression, which made him frown before returning to the phone.)

She's bitter because she's been trying to get him to use a phone since 1976 — quite literally — and while he's shown interest with what she does with hers, he has never really made an effort to play around with one on his own. She's not sure what's suddenly sucked up all his attention.

She's not jealous. Not at all.

He puts the phone away only when they stop for gas and food.

"Are you going to let me drive now?" he asks her.

"No."

  
  
  
  


**14:36 mst  
** **december 22, 2023  
** **38.9700° N, 109.3207° W**

  
  


Shortly after crossing the border into Utah and Daniel is still entranced by the phone, Daisy snaps.

"What the hell are you doing on that thing?"

He looks up suddenly and blinks at her. "Have I done something wrong?"

She snorts. "I set up that phone for you weeks ago and you never cared to spend the time looking at all the things I added until now. Isn't the whole point of this trip to get used to the modern world? What's the point if you're not even going to try!"

He's quiet for a moment. "That's not what I'm asking about."

She doesn't respond to that. Instead, she comments harshly, "So, what, you've decided the phone is better than me?"

There is a flash of rage in his eyes that catches her by surprise, but it's only there for the briefest moment before it's replaced with a cool expression. "I've just been reading some of the books you left on here," he explains calmly. "You're always been excited to talk about them, I thought it might cheer you up if I could actually hold a conversation regarding it. But if you prefer I don't, then I'll stop."

It hits her suddenly that he's talking about the "Harry Potter" series. She's been pushing him to read the books since she met him, basically, since she and Simmons would constantly reference it in front of him. She refused to show him the movies until he read the books.

And now...

He's been reading them all day for her.

A new form of guilt hits her hard, rendering her speechless. First, she was battling the guilt of sleeping with him, knowing full well the extent of his feelings, without the intention of truly following up on it. It was just because she selfishly craved the feeling adoration, even if it was just for one night. Now, it's conflicted with the guilt of how she's been treating him. The two swirl inside her, clashing together and leaving her weak. She wants to cry, but can't.

Daniel's still staring at her, expecting an answer.

"No," she whispers after a minute. "No, you should keep reading. You'll like them."

  
  
  
  


**19:02 mst  
** **december 22, 2023  
** **38.6006° N, 112.5818° W**

  
  


Daniel manages to convince her not to drive for half the night this time, and she reluctantly agrees. Not for him, but for the deep exhaustion that settles itself in her bones.

The guilt she's been feeling the past two days leaves her so incredibly bone-tired and weary. Every fiber of her being is conflicted between (a) pushing him away, because he deserves so much better than her, and risk ruining him emotionally and (b) letting him in, selfishly, and letting him ruin her in the end — body and soul.

(Whatever option she ends up picking, she's not sure if he'll ever forgive her.

Or if she'll ever forgive herself.)

Daisy dives straight into the minibar when they get into their room. Daniel is apprehensive. She doesn't blame him. While she's been less harsh since the phone confrontation, the cruelty of the last few days is still at the forefront of their minds. Last night, he was so forgiving, assuming the pain of her father left her in a destructive mood.

By now, he's gathered that it's all about him.

Yet, he's still there, helping her with her bags, reading those stupid books because he thinks it might make her talk to them. The guilt only grows as she likens it to some idiotic teenage boy with a crush.

She doesn't deserve him.

Not one bit.

She tosses aside the finished bottle and Daniel picks it up to throw it in the trash. "I don't think that's a good idea," he tells her, vividly remembering the last time she drank.

"Why haven't you said anything about what happened between us?" Daisy suddenly demands. She's not sure why she's decided to bring it up. This is a terrible idea, but she's desperate to know the answer, even if she can't stand to think of the consequences of it.

"You left _me_ ," he says quietly. "You told me to — " He pauses suddenly, not wanting to repeat the curse, then, " — and then you _left_." His expression is neutral but his jaw locks and she knows. She knows he's angry at her and he's doing his best not to show it.

He should stop trying so hard.

Daisy inhales sharply. "Yeah. I did."

"So, I assume you didn't want to talk about it," he clarifies. "Unless things have changed in the last seventy years, which I doubt they have in this case, your actions made it clear you wanted to forget it ever happened."

He steps closer.

"Please tell me if I'm wrong, Daisy," he whispers, almost begging. "Please tell me I'm _wrong_."

She eventually shakes her head and Daniel closes his eyes before she can see the heartbreak, his worst fears coming to life. When he reopens it, he's back to his usual unfazed expression. "Okay," he settles on. His voice cracks the slightest amount when he says, "Then forget it."

"Why can't you just be _angry_ at me?!" she cries out desperately.

His eyes darken and he exhales violently through his nose. "You think I'm not angry?" he asks, voice low and hard.

"I know you are," Daisy replies, "but you just won't _show_ it."

"That's because," he says darkly, walking closer, forcing Daisy to step backward, "I don't want to push you. I've been trying to respect your _space_. For _weeks_."

Her breath catches. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, she can't take any more steps back. Her back hits the wall and Daniel stands in front of her, placing his hand on the wall beside her head. "You're not fooling me, _Quake_ ," he says. She has no clue what the loaded meaning behind that is, but she finds that she really doesn't care right now.

Her eyes glance down at his lips several times, their breaths mingling together. She's trapped there. She should be trying to get away, to push him off of her, but she feels nothing but pure _want._

"You're a hypocrite," she tells him quietly, her voice husky. He hums in question. "You tell me that I need to feel something, but you won't do the same."

"Trust me, I'm feeling _everything_."

And then he kisses her as if the world depends on it, harsh and violent, and it's everything she's ever wanted.

A moan escapes her lips as his hands immediately go to her waist, pulling her flush against him. She jumps up, wrapping her legs around his hips, and he catches her flawlessly, her hands scraping against the back of his shirt.

He presses open-mouth kisses down her neck and nips her collarbone as she tugs at his hair. His hands come underneath her ass, holding her steady against the wall, and she starts drawing his shirt out of his pants messily. She's momentarily shocked when his hand grazes over her inner thigh and she pauses her actions to gasp into his shoulder.

He pulls away, suddenly unsure. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, yes," she breathes. She slants her mouth against his and unbuckles his belt. She's never been more sure of anything in her life. She wants him, she _needs_ him.

She almost regrets ever calling him old-fashioned when he curls a finger into her and fucks her roughly against the wall.

  
  
  
  


**09:32 mst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **38.6006° N, 112.5818° W**

  
  


She didn't leave, this time. They wake up together in the tiny twin bed, their legs intertwined and his face buried in her hair.

  
  
  
  


**11:46 mst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **38.3594° N, 112.6388° W**

  
  


After that, they start talking about it.

Nothing big, nothing serious. Just offhanded comments here and there.

("Your sex hair is atrocious," she told him that morning.

"You're one to talk," he teased back.)

("So, that thing you did with your — "

"My signature move," she joked.

He nodded. "It was very effective.")

(He had a surge of panic when they pack up the van. It suddenly hit him that they've gone unprotected twice.

"All military personnel had condoms given out to them," he rushes out, "but I didn't think of — "

"I have an implant," she assures him.)

("I'm not a total prude!" he exclaimed after she asked if he's only been with, like, one other woman. "It wasn't uncommon in the '50s."

"The fact that you won't even say the word 'sex' tells me otherwise," she responded.

"It was a private affair!" he cried out.)

(She later amended: "I don't think someone inexperienced would have been able to pull the stunt you did yesterday."

She doesn't think she's ever seen him look so smug before. She wanted to kiss the expression off of his face.)

("So, is modern sex that different?"

He just gave her a _look_ at that one.)

It's a step forward, definitely, but neither of them actually talk about if it'll happen again.

Or, more likely, _when_.

Planning takes the fun out of it, she reminds herself.

  
  
  
  


**14:44 mst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They're back to their old selves, but better — because Daisy's happy and Daniel's confident. They listen and sing to the music again, bicker about nicknames and societal changes, and just have some great conversations.

And yes, she lets him drive this time.

She's missed this.

(It was only gone from her life for two days, but she missed it so much.)

She doesn't think about the ticking timer on this whole thing. She doesn't think about her mother, or her father, or the team that left.

  
  
  
  


**16:52 pst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


Las Vegas is scorching, compared to the cool winter weather they've been used to for the past few weeks. The city is bright and colorful both with the usual Vegas glam and the extreme holiday cheer.

It's almost Christmas, they realize.

Daniel checks them in while Daisy parks the van. They made the last-minute decision to get a room at a much nicer hotel, because, in the end, Vegas isn't the place to skimp out on. So, a nice room, in a grand hotel, in the middle of the action, where the casinos and alcohols come aplenty.

She meets him in the lobby and he hands her a key card.

"Only one bed, again," Daniel tells her. "They said they're out of anything else. It's the only room they have."

Daisy grins. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were doing this on purpose," she says, "because you're trying to get some."

She expects him to choke on air or something. Instead:

"Maybe I am," he replies subtly. He then smirks at her, looking especially smug.

She's left gaping.

  
  
  
  


**16:59 pst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


The room turns out to actually be some kind of couples suite, which definitely leaves her to actually wonder if he's done it on purpose.

The things a man from the '50s would do to get in a girl's pants.

She debates reminding him that many single women in twenty-first-century America would be content with just skipping to the action, but she bites back the jest. She also ignores the nagging voice in her head that's telling her that if all this effort on purpose, it wouldn't have been just to get some.

And anyway, he seems a little too flustered when he sees the room that she believes he's just as surprised as she is.

  
  
  
  


**18:31 pst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They explore the city for a little bit. They watch the fountain show with large smiles and big eyes and then find some wonderful buffet to feast on.

("Didn't you say to stay away from buffets?" he asked her.

"Only for sushi," she responded.

He was quick to dig in after that.)

Then, they go and watch the most popular show in town.

She thinks this might be the best day they've ever spent together.

  
  
  
  


**22:24 pst  
** **december 23, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They settle back into their couple's suite later, satisfied with their day. Their normal routine resumes, and Daisy can't help flashing him a grin as she brushes her teeth next to him at their dual sink.

"Well, at least I won't accidentally spit in your hair," she says with her mouth full of toothpaste. He chuckles heartily.

(It almost happened once. They both bent down at the sink around the same time back in their tiny room in New York. Daisy noticed before it was too late, but she spat anyway, deliberately missing, just because she wanted to see the look of horror on his face.)

Because of the heat — and only the heat, Daisy tells herself — she wears her extremely short sport shorts and her sports bra as her sleepwear. Daniel's eyes immediately darken as he sees her and she raises her eyebrows in challenge. She climbs into the bed and turns on the TV.

"So, what do you want to watch tonight?"

As usual, he lets her pick. And, because she was in the mood to laugh at some spycraft — not because of the sexual tension some of the movies give off, she tells herself — she picks a Bond movie.

She's almost offended when he settles an appropriate distance away from her, but she knows that he's unsure about the limits of their relationship. She takes mercy on him, settling slightly closer, but not inappropriately so.

They spend the duration of the movie poking fun at the inaccuracies that Hollywood explains as spycraft. By the end, she's practically flush to him. She's leaning against his chest and his hand comes around her shoulders.

"That was fun," she says when the credits roll. "It makes up for you sticking us in some couples suite so you could get laid."

His breath tickles her ear and shivers go down her spine as he comes up close to whisper, "I can promise you this whole situation wasn't my intention, but I certainly am not complaining."

"Shut up," she says, tone light. She's smiling.

"Or what?" he dares, raising his eyebrows flirtatiously. "You'll quake me?"

Daisy thinks, after his behavior today, that he's proven himself to be an adult who can handle an adult friends-with-benefits relationship.

That's what she tells herself as she ends up running his hand over his pants and causes him to fall apart with her touch.

  
  
  
  


**08:17 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


Daisy finds that she really enjoys waking up in Daniel's arms, and especially likes the benefits that come along when he wakes up after her.

  
  
  
  


**11:43 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


She shows him the wonders of modern-day slot machines. They briefly go over the back tables, but he's familiar enough with them. They haven't changed much since his time.

"I used to rob guys at those tables all the time," she says casually. "Actually, we might want to keep an eye out for the police. It's been, like, nine years plus a Blip since I've been wanted by the city, and I look completely different, but hey, you can never be too careful."

He turns to her. "You robbed people?"

"I think we've established I have some issues," Daisy brushes over. "Betting and gambling were probably how I got just about everything I owned, so I learned how to cheat the system really quick. The slot machines were so easy to hack and it's amazing what a guy will do for you at the table if you bat your eyelashes enough."

This makes him tinge red with jealousy, but he skips past it. "And you were found out," he sums up.

"Oh, no, they attempted to arrest me for hacking into the system to make all the machines spit out the money. I lost the city billions of dollars, it was awesome."

Daniel stares at her for a long moment. "I really don't think you should be here."

"Nah, it's fine," Daisy decides. "I just remembered that I don't exist in this timeline. Now, let's go throw all our money down these slot machines."

  
  
  
  


**12:05 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


It takes her only five losses before she whips out her phone and starts to hack a machine. Daniel has to pull her away and she swears she'll never forgive him.

Old habits die hard.

  
  
  
  


**12:26 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They go back out to the city and have fun exploring. They find a nice place to have lunch, then they jump from Christmas show to Christmas show.

There's a staggering amount of people who are celebrating the holidays in Las Vegas, Daniel is surprised to find out.

("Christmas used to mean something," he muttered.

"Says the guy who worked every year," she replied cheekily.

"I had a duty to the American citizens!")

Daisy used to come to Las Vegas a lot back when she was a hacktivist in a van, but she's never quite had as much fun as she is having now.

  
  
  
  


**18:46 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They considered having dinner at some very fancy restaurant, but decide to go to the cheapest fast food they can find once they remember that it's Christmas Eve.

It was mostly Daisy who pushed for that, because she didn't want to give any ideas about them spending a grand and romantic Christmas together. Plus, it kind of reminds her of the team Christmases where they would usually just grab some burgers as a special treat after a mission.

Her heart hurts as she thinks of the team. She hasn't heard from any of them since leaving, and even though she knows it's because they all agreed to give each other some distance for a couple of months. It's like going cold turkey.

Deke is the only one completely ignoring that rule. His messages are infrequent, but they're there all the same. She happily takes in every message and responds to them quickly, because he's the one who connects them all. She thinks he may be missing them too, because while he has a life — a rather nice one at that — he has no one to share it with.

At least she has Daniel.

For now.

But Daisy can't afford to think about that right now.

  
  
  
  


**22:56 pst  
** **december 24, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


At the end of the night, they end up returning to the casinos. Daniel demands her phone and she pouts, but agrees to his terms. She feels like she's missing a part of her soul after she gives it up.

She screams in frustration the first few times she loses to those stupid machines.

Then, she ropes Daniel into drinking copious amounts of liquor with her. Unlike the last time, he agrees, making disgusted faces after each shot, but enjoying the pleasant feeling he gets later. She does notice that he checks on her regularly, seeing if she'll go into another alcohol-induced dissociative breakdown.

She ends up winning something (without hacking). It's not a huge amount, but it's no small amount either, and the both of them are so excited and drunk and high on adrenaline that they start making out in the elevator.

They almost don't make it to their hotel room.

  
  
  
  


**10:24 pst  
** **december 25, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They sleep in late. Daisy doesn't know the last time she's slept through an entire night like that. She hasn't had the nightmares since her and Daniel began their arrangement, but she still always woke up right around training time before deciding to go back to sleep.

She painfully wonders if that means her body has grown accustomed to a life without S.H.I.E.L.D. Or maybe it's just the raging hangover she has.

But before she can dwell on anything too much, she feels Daniel press a kiss against her hair and she realizes that he's been awake for a while. She ponders exactly how long he's been sitting here, watching her sleep.

"It's Christmas morning," he mutters against her brow. She looks up to see his expression and sees he's got an adoring smile fixed on his face. He looks a bit dazed, probably from the hangover. She scrunches her nose.

"My head is killing me," she confesses and he chuckles.

"Honestly, I can barely remember what happened last night."

She blinks and lifts herself off of him to look around the room. Clothes are strewn everywhere — she sees her bra ended up on a lamp across the room somehow, and her pants and underwear are just by the doorway (they really didn't waste any time there).

Daisy is relieved as she recalls the events that went down the previous night.

"I do," she tells him. "And I can confirm that we did not get married by an Elvis impersonator."

Only after she says it does she realize that he has no clue what that means or that it is a common Vegas joke.

He blinks at her.

"Because that would be awkward," she tries to salvage.

Like this moment.

Daniel gives her an odd look.

"Elvis?" he eventually asks.

"Oh!" she exclaims. "He was '56! You missed him by one year, that's a shame."

He raises his eyebrows. "People get married by an impersonator?"

"Yeah," Daisy says, "it's this big thing. And marriage licenses are fairly easy in Nevada so people get drunk married, like, all the time."

"You think we'd get drunk married?" he asks.

"Uh. It's just a funny thing people do when they're drunk." She laughs awkwardly. "Anyway..."

He stares at her with that same odd expression for a moment before she scrunches her nose. "I'm gonna go take a shower," she says before peeling herself off the bed and running away from the situation.

  
  
  
  


**21:33 pst  
** **december 25, 2023  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They didn't leave the hotel room that entire day.

(Daisy was worried that he hadn't seen enough of Las Vegas yet, but he assured her that while the technology of the casinos has changed since the '50s, the spirit certainly hadn't. And, he amended, he could visit any time, as it was so close to L.A.

It suddenly haunted her, how true that was. Since they were due to leave Vegas the next morning, by the following night, their time would come to an end.

"Plus," Daniel added, "I think my head would explode if I try to go outside right now."

So, she selfishly agreed to stay in. They order room service and watch the first half of the "Harry Potter" series, because Daisy insisted that they were excellent Christmas movies.)

When they settle for bed, she doesn't make a move to straddle him and have her way. She's done so several times throughout the day, but she knows that isn't the reason for her lack of action now. Lust is still simmering in her blood, but there's something she craves more.

They face each other while laying in the bed, so close that their breaths mingle.

"Merry Christmas," he whispers.

She smiles softly. "Merry Christmas," she replies.

The lay there for a minute, staring into each other's eyes, not quite wanting to go to sleep just yet. It feels odd to lay in bed together like this, just laying. But, she ends up deciding, it's the good kind of odd. The kind that leaves her stomach fluttering and her entire body relaxed.

"You sleep with the prosthetic," she comments casually after a while of silence. She traces her fingers over it softly. It's not like she didn't notice it before — she most certainly has — but she never thought it was her place to bring it up.

"I didn't at first," he tells her. "Simmons said that I would never need to take it off except for cleaning, but it felt...odd. I hadn't had a second leg in years."

Daisy traces her fingers across his cheekbone now. "It isn't the same, but when my powers were gone, I couldn't sleep for ages. It was like I was missing something essential, without the vibrations. And by the time I finally figured it out, the chip was ripped out and I had to get reaccustomed to it all."

"It's almost the same," Daniel whispers. "Your powers are a part of you. Losing them is like losing a limb."

She smiles bittersweetly. This man understands her maybe better than she knows herself. Daniel frowns.

"I've been keeping something from you," he starts slowly, regretfully.

Her heart sinks and she pulls away. She's heard those before, and it never ends well for her. Her breath quickens, panic settling in.

"I — Mack told me everything," Daniel says. Daisy's anxiety is replaced with confusion. "About us," he clarifies.

"He...told you about the loop kiss?" she breathes out.

Now, it was Daniel's turn to be confused. "The loop kiss?" Her face turns brilliantly red as she realizes she just revealed something that she wasn't supposed to. In her defense, she thought he knew.

"What did Mack tell you?" she asks, diverting the conversations.

"Never mind that," he says, narrowing his eyes, "What kiss are you talking about?"

She presses a few fingers to her forehead, scrunching her nose and kicking herself. Well, it's out there now. "We kissed in the time loop," she tells him. "Well, I kissed you. And you kissed back."

His breath hitches. "We kissed?"

"Oh, stop," she desperately attempts to lessen. "We've screwed, like, a good amount of times. What's one kiss?"

"Nine times," he confirms.

"Oh, you've been keeping track?" she laughs.

"Of course. And it _matters_ ," he continues, "because it was our _first_ kiss. And I don't remember it."

Daisy knows she should be worried about the sappiness and domesticity of it all; she should register that perhaps this isn't just about the sex for him. But, instead, she smiles and giggles. "I'll make it up to you."

"You better," he tells her with a grin. "So, tell me about this time loop kiss."

So, she tells him about what he said the loop before the kiss. How she called him out for always helping her without hesitation and he told her that he knew her type. She recalls how he read her out like an open book, rendering her speechless with how honest he was.

He wanted to be the person who always picked her back up.

"So, you just couldn't resist, huh?" he teases.

She frowns. "I just... It's been a long time since I had someone there for me like that."

He tenderly pushes her a strand of her hair aside and strokes her cheek softly. "You deserve it."

"No, I don't," she softly, but confidently. "Everyone close to me ends up dying. They're better off without me. The _world_ is better off without me."

"No," he replies, his voice broken. Broken for _her_. "It isn't."

It's then he kisses her softly, his hand caressing the nape of her neck so gently. It's unlike their other kisses, which are generally charged with passion. This one is so tender and caring, it reassures her and almost convinces her that she's wrong.

That night, their movements are steady and unhurried as he hovers on top of her. She's always been in control in their bedroom antics, apart from the night he fucked her against the wall — but, even then, that was fueled by anger and lust and a major unraveling of sexual frustration.

This feels different.

It's torturous — how slowly he draws out each noise she makes, how the placement of his mouth and his hands are so deliberate and calculated the entire ordeal, how he stares into her eyes each time she comes apart under him. And after it's all over, he wraps her up in his embrace and holds her close, pressing the softest kisses to her brow.

She vaguely thinks about how this feels a lot like love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, isn't that just sappy? Yet, the emotional slowburn continues. Oh, the whiplash.
> 
> The final part will be posted on Sunday. Our lovely duo becomes a trio!


	4. PART 4 — california never felt like home to me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're too close to Los Angeles.
> 
> Daisy really enjoys her time with Daniel. He's caring and adoring and she knows he wants her — She could stay with him forever, if she wanted.
> 
> She knows the second they get to Los Angeles, she'll have to make a choice. And she's not ready for that yet.
> 
> She needs more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we have it.
> 
> The final part of All We Do Is Drive.
> 
> Thank you all for reading. It's been a pleasure.

**10:18 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **35.6123° N, 115.3880° W**

  
  


Leaving Las Vegas was easy, but the uncertainty that filled them upon the realization that they were about to reach their destination was not. Their drive is filled mainly with silence, with stolen glances and the occasional adoring smiles.

"You know," Daniel starts at some point around the border, "We missed out on visiting Area 51."

Daisy turns to him. "Why would we go there? We're not S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore."

He gives her a sly look and raises his eyebrows. "It's where we first met," he says, voice filled with adoration and nostalgia.

She bites her lip. There he goes again, being all sappy. "I thought it was a bad day."

"It was," he agrees, "but meeting you was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She doesn't know what to say to that, so she doesn't say anything at all.

  
  
  


**11:09 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **34.8958° N, 117.0173° W**

  
  


They're too close to Los Angeles.

Daisy really enjoys her time with Daniel. He's caring and adoring and she knows he wants her — She could stay with him forever, if she wanted.

She knows the second they get to Los Angeles, she'll have to make a choice. And she's not ready for that yet.

She needs more time.

So, she says, "Deke's in San Francisco. Maybe we should visit him on the way to L.A. And it's the home of tech, so you might learn a thing or two."

It might be the worst plan she's ever had, but it gives them the time they need.

"We're almost at L.A," he points out. "We'd be there in an hour."

Daisy shrugs, acting unconcerned. "It'd make more sense to split up on New Years'. It's poetic and all."

And Daniel, being the angel that he is, simply agrees.

When they hit the fork in the road that goes north to San Francisco or south to Los Angeles, he picks the north route.

  
  
  
  


**11:59 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **35.0166° N, 117.8328° W**

  
  


The mood becomes even lighter after that. Daisy thinks that it's mostly on her side — that he was always waiting for her cue — but she feels a weight off of her chest as Los Angeles gets further and further away.

After that, she finds out quickly that he's insatiable — which is good, because she is too.

(He snuck a hand down her pants while he was driving up an empty road, leaving her gasping and desperate while he remained in complete control over both her and the car.

Which, of course, led her to make him pull over so she could climb atop of his lap and show him just how much she appreciated it.)

It's probably a miracle they haven't gotten into a car accident by this point.

  
  
  
  


**13:21 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **35.3733° N, 119.0187° W**

  
  


Naturally, she makes him stop at In-N-Out for lunch, because it's a Californian classic and Daniel hasn't had the chance to try it yet.

They're the kinds of people that usually get out of the van to sit down to eat. Eating on the road just isn't that fun, but they have done it before. (She tries not to think about the days she tried driving hours upon hours straight. Oh, what a fool she was. How much time she lost them.)

So, they sit in the food joint and she introduces him to the wonder of the Californian burger.

"It's..." Daniel continues chewing, thinking.

Daisy leans in excitedly. "Yeah?" she prompts.

"Not great," he decides and she deflates. "I mean, it's good! But it almost doesn't taste like an actual hamburger."

She smiles in mirth. "It's a good thing I've kept you away from Mickie D's, huh?"

"Mickie D's?"

"McDonald's," she explains. "In-N-Out is probably so good because my generation is raised on that junk."

"I don't remember it being that bad."

"Oh, so you tried McDonald's back in the day but not In-N-Out?" she asks judgingly. Daniel shrugs.

Daisy then Googles the history of In-N-Out and finds out that Daniel had the opportunity to have In-N-Out before, but he didn't know it existed. They finish their meals fairly quickly, thankful to finally have some food in their bellies.

And when they're done, he gathers both of their trays chivalrously.

"Oh," she adds, "I'm done with this."

She hands him her empty soda cup and he reaches for it, kissing her lips quickly as he grabs it before turning and finding a trash can.

It takes Daisy a second to process.

She blinks suddenly, looking back up at Daniel, who's fiddling with a trash can.

_Did he just — ?_

Yes. Yes, he did.

She tries not to think too much about the implications of the kiss. A kiss that was just sweet and without any sort of sexual meaning. Like couples do. But they're not a couple. She doesn't even think he realizes he did it.

Yet, as he turns to her and smiles, she can't help but think about how _normal_ it made her feel, like a regular couple, just trekking through America.

  
  
  
  


**16:21 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **36.8794° N, 120.7628° W**

  
  


Daisy takes on the role of driving after that, which doesn't worry Daniel at first. Until, at least, she denies the switch when they stop for gas.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

She turns to him with a frown, her brow scrunched in confusion. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're driving," he replies carefully, "You tend to drive when you're upset."

Her face immediately softens to a genuine smile. "I'm fine," she says truthfully. "And I like driving when I'm _thinking,_ not just when I'm upset."

"Oh," he says a bit dumbly. Then, he smiles. "Well, I for one am glad you're not unhappy."

"Me too," she responds. "Plus, I used to drive the 5 all the time. It's easy to just cruise the whole way."

He looks at the speedometer with a pointed look. "And go over twenty the speed limit," he teases.

She looks down and immediately lets off the gas. "Sorry," she replies sheepishly.

They soak the moment in for a few minutes, listening to the quiet sounds of the radio.

"So," he starts casually, "What have you been thinking about?"

_You,_ she thinks.

"Uh, just..." Daisy trails off. "A lot, I guess."

"Are you excited to see Deke?" he asks.

"Sure," she says lightly. "But Deke was never a hard one to reach."

Daniel nods, understanding. "It's okay to miss them, you know."

"I know," she admits.

  
  
  
  


**19:17 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


They shouldn't be surprised that Deke lives _here._

(And by _here,_ they mean the vast mansion that Deke calls home. It's kind of ridiculous how huge it is. It has _wings._ And that's just the building — the property probably spreads for miles and miles. He has his own citrus farm attached to it all, as well as a highly functional irrigation system that powers half the city.)

"Wow," is all Daniel says over and over as Deke shows them around excitedly. Daisy is mainly filled with eye-rolls and sighs. She's never seen a need for so many material objects.

"And here," Deke introducers, "is the tech wing!"

"Oh," she says, eyes widening. _Oh._

It's like an entire library filled with just about every single digital thing she can think of. Laptops, phones, tablets, PCs, watches, spy glasses...quite literally a sample of everything out there. The walls light up with computer screens, begging to be worked on. She's itching to play around with some of these bad boys already.

Daisy is immediately in love.

"Feel free to use whatever you want. I have backups of pretty much everything," Deke adds.

Oh, yes. This will do. This will do very nicely.

  
  
  
  


**20:35 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


Deke takes them out to dinner somewhere lowkey, which amuses Daisy. Here he is with the biggest riches in the world, yet he still loves his comfort junk food.

She's not complaining.

"So!" Deke asks excitedly, "How have you guys been?"

"Uh, it's been good," Daniel replies. "Daisy's been showing me around the modern world. She thought it might be nice to check out San Fran. I heard it's where everything is happening."

"Man, you should stop by the headquarters one of these days!" Deke tells him. "We've been working on so much," Deke tells him.

"What have you stolen now?" Daisy lightly quips, but she's smiling, so the boys know she doesn't really mean it.

"You know," Deke starts a bit mischievous, "I've been going through your code and — "

She gasps. "You didn't!"

  
  
  
  


**23:06 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


At night, to no one's surprise, she sneaks into Daniel's room.

(Well, it wasn't really sneaking. It was more like they went together, and she hoped that Deke didn't see.)

Daniel doesn't object, though. They curl up in bed easily and she pins him down to press her lips to his and kiss him senseless. She's been waiting all night for this. The time in the van was lovely and all, but the position was uncomfortable and neither of them got to do everything they wanted to do due to a lack of space.

He kisses her delicately and she revels in it. She starts to swirl her tongue and —

He pulls away, and kisses her forehead. He adjusts their positions so that her back is flush to his front, and his arm comes around her, holding her close. It happens so naturally, without effort, and they fit together perfectly.

(It's not unlike the position she woke up to when they first shared a bed, she notices.)

"Goodnight, Daisy," he says. He presses a final tender kiss to her neck.

"Goodnight," she says back, albeit confused. She had climbed into the bed with him, and he let her, and he kissed her...and that's it?

Well, she can't have that.

Daisy intertwines their fingers and guides his hand to her breasts and, well.

He gets the hint.

  
  
  
  


**05:49 pst  
** **december 26, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


Daisy feels bad for leaving Daniel alone in bed the next morning, but she thinks that she's woken up beside him enough times now that he shouldn't panic when he wakes up to her gone.

She just needed to get up and move around. She's a bit restless right now.

Upon visiting the tech wing, she finds that Deke is there already. He's there with his headphones, bopping his head to some music as he tinkers with something. He raises an eyebrow when he sees her.

"Can't sleep?" he asks.

She settles down beside him, propping her elbows on the table and checks out what he's working on. "I slept fine," she says. "I just woke up and didn't want to lounge in bed."

"Oh," Deke says. "You weren't in your room earlier so I just — _Oh_." He crinkles his nose in distaste as it hits him where she was. "I didn't need to know that."

Daisy shoots a glare at him. "I didn't need you to know that either. Now, let's please not _talk_ about it."

He gets the hint and they work together mostly in silence. He tinkers, and it involves a lot of coding pieces, so Daisy occasionally points out some errors and fixes it for him. She notes that it's all original and she's somewhat proud of him, even if it's messy.

Eventually, she speaks up.

"Do you miss the team?" she asks quietly.

Deke looks at her for a long time with a momentous look. "Yeah," he finally says. "I love it here — I do — but..."

"It's lonely," Daisy guesses.

"Yeah, exactly."

It's quiet for a moment, neither of them working on anything. They just think.

"I talk to Nana and Bobo a lot, though," he says. "I visit them every month or so." After a second, he adds, "If you want, we can go. I've got a private jet — it's great."

Daisy laughs lightly. "I'm sure it is," she says. "But I don't think anyone is ready for that, yet." It's another moment before she speaks again. "Have you heard from anyone else?"

"May's been silent; I don't think she's even reading my messages," Deke replies. "And, uh, I think Mack and Yoyo got married."

Her heart sinks.

She feels guilty. She should be happy for them, but instead, she just feels _loss._ She should've been there, they all should've.

"That's...nice," she settles on, her voice bubbling a bit.

"Yeah," Deke says, looking equally as upset as she feels, "it's nice." He tries to laugh it off. "Way to send a wedding invite for your best friend!"

Daisy tries to smile too. "At least you heard something from them."

He frowns. "You haven't talked to — ?"

"No, no one," she confirms. "Some of us actually followed the rules, you know. I haven't spoken to anyone from the team, except you. I'm all alone."

"You have good old Danny Boy," Deke points out.

Yes, she supposes she does.

  
  
  
  


**14:23 pst  
** **december 27, 2023  
** **37.7749° N, 122.4194° W**

  
  


Deke lends them a driver — because, of course, he has drivers — so that they can go up and explore San Francisco.

(Daisy tried insisting on her van, but eventually, she relented. Not driving the city hills would be a relief, honestly.)

The hills are ridiculous and while Daniel's prosthetic might be like the real thing, she doesn't want to push the limits, so they take advantage of having a driver and end up going everywhere. They visit Union Square and the market life around it. They visit the Golden Gate Park and the bridge, of course. They check out the pier and she enjoys hearing about the Ant-Man tidbits that street performers share. Daisy makes him buy some more clothes and, even though it's pricey, she finds that it's worth it.

He tries to get her to buy some clothes too, but she insists that she has enough as it is. She's never lived on much.

She does consider dragging him into a lingerie shop, but something stops her.

She notices, after he tried to go to bed with her without initiating sex, how Daniel acts around her; he kisses her cheek regularly, giving her the occasional peck on the lips, holds her hand casually as they walk the streets of San Francisco.

Daisy realizes, with a sinking feeling, that he might be under the impression that they're a _couple_. A part of her heart flutters at the prospect, while her gut and her mind and her legs are screaming at her to _run_.

Yet, she doesn't have the heart to pull herself away.

  
  
  
  


**10:37 pst  
** **december 29, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


They settle into a routine fairly quickly.

Daisy gets up early to go help Deke with his coding, finding that she actually really enjoys it. This kind of inventive coding is different from what she's used to. It's a challenge and it makes her think.

Then, she greets Daniel back in bed later, which undoubtedly ends in them rolling around for a while until they finally decide to go out and explore the Bay Area some more.

At night, they hang out with Deke with takeout and a movie. Then, they head to bed together, where they change and shower and brush their teeth side by side.

And there's sex, of course. A lot of it.

They can't get enough of each other, especially when Daisy purposefully taunts him with what she wears and how she moves. She wants to feel good and she doesn't want him trying to snuggle and sleep like their first night here.

Which is most definitely enjoyable for her, but not everyone in the house is as happy as they are with the constant screwing.

(Deke stepped into the room once while Daniel was in an extremely compromising position and she was clutching onto the sheets with short moans.

It was a bit of a flurry as Deke froze and Daniel jumped up and Daisy glared at everyone in challenge.

Deke stared at them for a brief moment, blinking slowly.

"Yeah," he ended up coughing, when his brain processed what he'd just walked into, "I'm gonna go ahead and... _go_."

He gave them the most awkward smile and fumbled a little bit as he tried to leave and close the door behind him.

Daniel looked so utterly scandalized that Daisy threw her head back and laughed.)

  
  
  
  


**06:20 pst  
** **december 30, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


"Have you shown him modern porn yet?" Deke asks casually the next morning as they're working on some new tech.

"I am going to kill you," Daisy responds.

(She's sure to show him later.)

They talk about going to Idaho after this, so that Daniel can visit his hometown. It might ruin their plans of getting to Los Angeles by New Years, but neither of them really mind that.

  
  
  
  


**22:49 pst  
** **december 30, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


She lets Daniel be on top again, which is always a dangerous prospect since he has a way of making her feel _so much._

Not just physically, but emotionally.

Somehow, he finds a way to pull her away from all her insecurities and doubts. He makes her feel safe and protected and _loved_.

While he definitely enjoys it when they go rough and hard, there's just something that always makes him go slow and torturous when she relinquishes control. Perhaps it's the fact that it doesn't happen all that much (not that he necessarily minds), and he knows she won't be the one to initiate something so _intimate._

It's funny, to think that they can have sex multiple times a day, yet it doesn't feel all that intimate until he fucks her slowly and worships her body like she's the most important thing in the world.

That night, Daniel makes her see stars as he gazes into her eyes, his soul boring into hers. His hands trace her face and he finally leans down to kiss her softly, albeit passionately, as he follows suit, when she is forced to close her eyes by the overwhelming feeling that spreads across her body. He pulls away from the kiss and she just knows that he's staring at her again, finally stilling.

"I love you."

Daisy's eyes snap open and she freezes.

There it is.

She knows, in the back of her mind, that he's said it to her before, underneath his breath and with his mouth to her skin, but it was in the heat of the moment and so soft that she can pretend she imagined it. But this...

This is loud and clear. It's out in the open and undeniable. He loves her, he loves her so much. She can't pretend like he didn't say it or that she didn't hear it.

Suddenly, she pulls herself off of him, and he looks at her with his signature puppy dog look. She can't look at him.

"I can't do this," she says as she throws her clothes back on.

"What?" he asks, his voice starting to crack.

" _This_ ," she replies harshly. "Any of this!"

She leaves the room and she doesn't look back.

  
  
  
  


**06:03 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


Daisy wakes up the next morning full of pain and regret. Not for the first time.

She wants to be alone, so, of course, she ends up running straight into Deke in the kitchen where she was hoping to eat away her sorrows in the early hours of the morning. She thought he'd be in the tech room, like always.

She immediately turns to leave, but he's spotted her already. "Are you crying?"

"No," she tries to say. Technically, she isn't. She's got tears building up, but none of them have spilled over, so she's not crying. But, naturally, as soon as someone asks, the waterworks come. "Yes," she amends. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I sort of already know," Deke admits. Daisy shoots him a glare and his eyes widen. "Hey, I wasn't being weird! Danny Boy was looking for you and he ended up knocking on my door!"

Her heart drops. Daniel was looking for her last night.

God, she feels terrible.

"Nana said she isn't surprised something like this happened," he tells her. "She told me to tell you — "

"Wait," she freezes, "you told _Simmons_ about this?"

"Of course," Deke replies, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I tell her everything. Fitz was a bit more confused about the whole thing 'cause he barely knows Sousa, but Jemma had some good advice."

Daisy plops down on the dining chair unhappily. "I miss them."

So, naturally, Deke immediately begins to dial. He hands her the phone.

"What is this?" she asks dumbly.

"Talk to them," he tells her simply.

"We're not supposed to — "

"They miss you too," Deke tells her and waves the phone a little.

She takes the phone delicately. Simmons picks up after a few rings. "Deke?" she answers.

"It's me," Daisy says shakily.

"Oh!" Simmons exclaims. She calls distantly, "Fitz! Daisy's on the line!" There is a shuffle and Simmons becomes clear again. "He'll be here soon. I heard about what happened last night."

She shoots a glare at Deke. "You and just about everyone else," she replies bitterly.

"Agent Sousa seemed rather upset about the whole ordeal," Simmons says.

Daisy blanches. "You spoke with Daniel?"

"No, no," Simmons clarifies. "But Deke told me he was really torn up last night. Talking some nonsense about how you didn't love him back."

"Way to make me feel better..."

"It's utterly ridiculous, of course," she continues, "to think that you don't love him."

Daisy bites her lip. "I don't," she tries to say unconvincingly.

It's silent for a long moment.

"Daisy..."

"I don't," she says a little more firmly. "We were just casual, having some fun. And then he had to go and bring _feelings_ into it." After Simmons says nothing, she continues, "I feel bad that he got hurt — Actually, I feel _terrible_ that I let it get this far. I _knew_ that he loved me and I didn't shut it down."

It's silent again and Daisy begins to dread what comes next.

"Is this about Lincoln?" Simmons asks quietly.

"Lincoln?" Daisy asks back, a little bewildered. "No, of course — "

And then she sees the pitiful look on Deke's face and is suddenly thrown into the memory of telling him about Lincoln, about how much she loved him, how she couldn't lose anyone else.

In the end, it is about Lincoln, albeit indirectly. It always leads back to Lincoln.

Simmons, of course, remains entirely analytical about the whole situation. "You're afraid to let yourself get close because you don't want to lose him. But _this_ is how you lose him."

Daisy realizes with a start that she may be right.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asks brokenly.

  
  
  
  


**11:28 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **37.4419° N, 122.1430° W**

  
  


Daisy spends hours on the phone with Fitz and Simmons.

They tell her about their life in Perthshire. About their wonderful little daughter — who is a bit of an imp when it's time to nap or shower. They have normal jobs and normal friends and a normal _life._ She finds that the part of her that missed them greatly starts to diminish. It's not that she doesn't miss them anymore, but hearing about how wondrously happy they are...

It makes her happy too. It's everything she's wanted for them.

They talk her through her disaster of a life and her feelings. It's not therapy, of course, but these people know her better than anyone. They have a hunch of what all her insecurities are and how to handle them.

They tell her about the bumps in their early relationship as well.

It's new, because she hasn't heard of it before. Of course, she knew about the curse and all that, but they had never opened up to her about the normal issues that their relationship faced. Fitz's unrequited feeling, Simmons's denial... 

It sounds rather familiar.

As soon as the phone call with Fitz and Simmons is over, Daisy immediately thanks Deke and runs over to find Sousa.

She knows what she needs to do, finally.

She sees that his room is cleared out and her stomach sinks. "No," she whispers.

He can't be gone.

In a panic, she runs outside and —

Daniel's still there, packing the van. He sees Daisy and sighs.

"You're still here," she breathes out, walking up to him.

He gives her a confused look. "I wasn't going to leave without you. It's _your_ van."

She smiles at that. Then, she bites her lip before saying, "Look, about last night — "

"Don't," he says darkly. He's frowning now, his eyes filled with fire. "Just don't say anything, Daisy. Let's just go. The sooner we get to L.A, the sooner I'll be out of your life."

She shatters.

Her mouth closes, and as he requested, she doesn't say anything.

  
  
  
  


**13:17 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **37.3382° N, 121.8863° W**

  
  


They say their goodbyes to Deke and then they're off. In a few short hours, they'll be in L.A. and Daniel will leave her forever. He doesn't want her anymore. Daisy hurt him too many times. Now, he can't even look at her.

"We should take the PCH," she says, "it's got a prettier view."

"The 5 is faster," he puts simply.

She frowns. "I'd like to see the sea."

"Fine," he grits out.

"We can still go to Idaho," she tries to tell him. "It's far but — "

His jaw clenches. "No," he says, terse.

She feels like she broke something between them.

  
  
  
  


**17:43 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **34.4208° N, 119.6982° W**

  
  


Daisy's glad that Daniel doesn't have the same habit of hogging the driver's seat when he's upset. He's driving scarily fast and she knows it's because he wants to get to their destination in record time.

He wants to get away from her.

When she takes the wheel, she's sure to have a steady cruising speed, never going above the speed limit. She tries to cheer him up with music — she even pulls up some '40s music to remind him of his time, which makes his expression lighten, only to darken every time she tried to start up a conversation.

They're almost at Los Angeles, which scares her.

Nothing has changed.

He still hates her.

  
  
  
  


**18:52 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **34.0407° N, 118.2468° W**

  
  


By the time they get to the city, everything still remains the same. And she comes to a sinking realization that this is the end.

If Daniel doesn't want her anymore, she doesn't think she can stay in L.A.

Daisy's always been a free spirit. While she enjoyed the city and what it had to offer, she was always traveling around. She never called it home, but more of a preferred destination. It was always the people who made a place home for her.

She thought, for a joyful few days, that perhaps that it could become a home for her. It had the potential. It had Daniel.

"So, this is it," Daniel says plainly. He doesn't seem all that torn up about it, which is what makes Daisy feel hurt. It's like their time together suddenly means nothing to him.

"It doesn't have to be," she replies a little desperately. His eyes spark with something for the briefest second, and she fools herself into thinking it might've been hope. She continues, "It wouldn't be right if I didn't at least stick around for the fireworks."

His eyes bore into hers for a minute and it feels like an eternity.

"Okay," he finally says. "Until the fireworks."

Daisy sighs in relief.

She has more time.

"Just give me an hour," she tells him. He gives her a confused look. "I just need to buy a couple of things for tonight. I'll be back really quickly."

He promises her that he'll be there when she comes back and she hopes he's not lying.

  
  
  
  


**22:13 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **34.1184° N, 118.3004° W**

  
  


He wasn't lying, which was an immense relief.

("I used to drive my van up here to sleep," she told him as they pulled up. There's a decent crowd, which doesn't surprise her. It's the best view of the city, even though it takes quite a drive to get there.

He seemed uninterested in the tidbit about her past and instead chose to focus on the scene itself. "It's a nice view," he agreed. "Perfect for fireworks.")

Daisy sets down a blanket and champagne and some of the snack food she got for them.

She knows it's cheesy. She basically set them up with a romantic picnic under the stars so they can watch the fireworks as the new year dawns upon them.

She doesn't regret it.

At least, not until Daniel appears entirely uninterested. He looks miserable, like he just wants to leave. He responds to all her conversation starters with curt answers. She feels silly, wasting so much time setting this up. Time she could've spent with him — their last moments.

(Daisy wonders if this was what he felt like when she detached herself from him after the incident with her father.

She doesn't think she'll ever forgive herself for that.)

She keeps trying.

They have less than two hours.

  
  
  
  


**23:54 pst  
** **december 31, 2023  
** **34.1184° N, 118.3004° W**

  
  


Daisy thought she could do something — anything — to make Daniel love her again.

But, he still won't even look at her and they've run out of time. Her heart is breaking, but she realizes that there's no future for them anymore. She needs to leave.

If she's doing this, she needs to do it now. She needs to start the new year on her own.

Daisy takes a deep breath. "I don't think I'll be staying in L.A."

He looks at her suddenly, his eyes filled with panic and betrayal. "What?"

"I thought L.A. was my home, but it isn't. All the things I consider home are gone," she tells him brokenly, "and I ruined things with you."

Daniel's silent for too long and it kills her inside. A part of her hoped that maybe he'd tell her that, for once, she didn't ruin the best goddamn thing in her life. That he forgave her. But instead, he can't look her in the eye.

The tears well in hers.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel," she whispers, looking down. "I guess this is goodbye."

Daisy hesitates for a moment, still clinging onto the smallest chance that he'll object. When he still doesn't say anything or even _look_ at her, that hope shatters, leaving the shards to tear her apart as they fall.

So, she begins to walk away. Her eyes close and a tear falls, knowing that she will probably never see him again —

A hand grasps hers tightly, pulling her back. She blinks a few times; Daniel is standing in front of her, his eyes boring into hers. He speaks softly, "Don't you get it, Daisy? L.A. isn't my home. I barely recognize it after seventy years."

"I don't understand. Then why did you — "

"You. You're my home."

All of the breath leaves Daisy's lungs. She's rendered speechless and she stares at Daniel hard, mouth open.

"You know, I never got to tell you what Mack said to me," Daniels says. Daisy suddenly remembers how in Las Vegas, he said he's been keeping something from her. Something that Mack said, and it wasn't about the time loop kiss. "He told me that you liked me, even if you didn't know it yet. He also told me that you've been hurt before, so I promised myself that I wouldn't push."

He knew this entire time?

He continues, "They offered me the position in a lot of different cities. L.A. was the most promising option because it's the terrain I was used to, but I didn't even accept until you said you'd be in L.A. too. I hoped you'd figure it out sooner than later, and I didn't want to be halfway across the country when that happened."

He needs to stop talking, because Daisy thinks she may never be able to breathe again if he says anything else. Her heart beats faster.

"It was always my plan to stick by you. I wasn't gonna split up like you kept saying we would by the new year. And then you ran out and I thought... I thought Mack was wrong. I was worried I'd lose you, but I thought I really did last night."

She wants to say that he didn't, but she can't get her mouth to move.

"And now it's almost New Year and I'm begging you to stay. I love you, Daisy. I'll wait however long you need, but I'm asking that you at least _stay_ ," he says finally.

Daniel looks at her with such _love_ in every bit of his expression. She doesn't doubt him for a second. He loves her. He'd do anything for her. And she'd do anything for him.

The countdown begins.

_Ten....._

Daisy's not sure what love is, honestly. She doesn't think she's felt it before.

_.....eight, nine....._

She thinks of Miles, who showed her the world of computers. Who unknowingly led her to S.H.I.E.L.D. She cared for him, of course, but she never loved him. And he never loved her.

She thinks of Ward, who built her up only to try to tear her down. Who betrayed their entire relationship and left her heartbroken. In some twisted way, he really loved her. She does know that. She thinks she could've loved him back, if he wasn't Hydra.

She thinks of Lincoln, who made her proud to be an Inhuman, even if he wasn't himself. Who she didn't get enough time with, before she was swayed and he sacrificed himself to save her. His last words were that he loved her and she didn't have it in her to say it back.

In truth, she doesn't think she ever loved Lincoln. She was well on her way, but she wasn't there yet. And when he died, something in her manifested into what she _thought_ was love, but was just a void of guilt of all the bodies left in her wake.

_.....seven, six....._

Then, she thinks of Daniel, who she was probably never meant to meet, never meant to save. Who loves her implicitly, always there for her in a way no one else has been. He's been there for her through the thick and the thin. He's never given up on her.

And then she knows. She knows how she truly feels. Simmons was right, and Mack was right too.

Suddenly, she's given the courage she needs. She knows, without a doubt —

_.....five, four....._

"I love you," she tells him earnestly.

He beams.

_.....three, two....._

  
  
  
  


**13:53  
** **july 21, 1955  
** **37.2431° N, 115.7930° W**

  
  


(It'd already been a bad day when Daniel walked into his office and saw the most beautiful woman in the world.

A woman who was most certainly not supposed to be sitting there.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

She didn't even bother looking up, still scanning confidential documents. "Who I am is on a need-to-know basis," she told him.

He seethed. He turned back and pointed at his very obvious door vinyl that clearly says who's in charge around here. "I need to know," he demanded, trying his best not to lash out completely.

She looked up at him and took off her glasses. She smiled. "No, you don't, because I don't exist and we never met.")

  
  
  
  


**00:00 pst  
** **january 1, 2024  
** **34.1184° N, 118.3004° W**

  
  


_.....one, zero!_

The crowd cheers and the fireworks go off.

It's a new year.

She might not exist, but she's happier than ever now that she's met him.

Daisy pulls him to her then, slanting her lips over his. She pours every ounce of love she has into it and she knows that Daniel is doing the same.

He pulls away far too soon for her liking, and he presses his forehead to hers. "Will you chance the future with me?" he asks, voice soft and loving.

She doesn't even hesitate.

"Yes. Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end.
> 
> Would now be a good time to say that the entire time I was writing this fic, a tiny little devil voice kept whispering in my head to make them get into a car accident and end up in the hospital?
> 
> Maybe there would've been an actual plot then.
> 
> I actually do have a bit of an epilogue, if anyone is interested in that. I plotted it out and started writing, but I don't know if it's even something that's wanted. Let me know if you do!


	5. EPILOGUE — it's so simple but we can't stay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's been exactly sixty-nine years since we met," he tries to start with.
> 
> "Sixty-nine, huh? Is this going where I think it's going?" Daisy snickers and he frowns.
> 
> "I'm trying to be serious here," he chides. "You're awful."
> 
> "You love me for it!"
> 
> He sighs. "Yeah, I really, really do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, you asked for an epilogue, and here you get it! This is the sappiest goddamn thing I've ever written, it's giving me a toothache. It kind of got away from me.
> 
> The promo just kind of blew this whole fic out of canon, but I have NO REGRETS.

**approx. seven months later.....**

  
  


They make a life for themselves in L.A.

Daniel settles himself into his new job easily. It's a high-level intelligence enforcement position — one where he's stuck in an office, going over cases and giving out orders. It's nice, but he does miss being in the field. He misses the thrill and the ability to get your hands a little dirty to do the right thing.

This isn't too different from being Chief, but at least then, he had the authority to throw caution to the wolves and join his agents on the ground.

But for now, it'll do.

Daisy quickly becomes one of the best cybersecurity consultants out there. She comes highly recommended by just about everyone — starting with Deke. She helps him out with his code, sometimes. They're always working on some cool new thing. She generally works remotely, in the comfort of her van.

Yes, her office is in a van.

The consulting work gives her a great schedule, as she has gone back to her vigilante work.

She keeps lowkey, not bringing too much attention to herself. She takes down criminals quietly, before the local law enforcement even catches wind of the events, having the perpetrators running in fear. Daniel is the one who generally gives her the insider intel — it's probably his favorite part of the job.

There are whisperings of a girl who can make things move with a flick of her hand, but no one has been able to confirm or deny anything.

The girl becomes a myth.

And they keep in touch with the team on a fairly regular basis now.

FitzSimmons calls nearly weekly. Most are short and sweet, making sure everything's going well on both ends. Others are lengthy and nostalgic; Simmons worries about everything and everyone. She continually expresses how glad she is that Deke and Daisy are there for each other.

("I'm here, too!" Daniel called out at that.

"Yeah, but you're a given," Simmons replied sweetly. "These two would pretend like they never need anyone forever.")

When things settle down, Mack and Elena make contact as well. Deke was right, they did get married — but they had eloped quickly before going off on an extended honeymoon. Their messages are infrequent but consistent, and Daisy appreciates each and every one of them.

(One time, they called, and Daisy swore she heard the faint crying of a baby in the distance. She swept the idea away as ridiculous, because they've been separated for only eight months and —

Scratch that, it's entirely possible and it explains _a lot_.)

May sends an email once, letting everyone know she's alive and not much else. They know vaguely that she's working for Fury's new organization. Daisy has a sneaking suspicion that it might be in space.

Deke, of course, visits them all the time; anything from coding work to helping Daisy out with consulting connections to just wanting to pop in and say hi. Sometimes a little too much, honestly. It's not a great sign that he has the keys to their — _Daniel's_ — apartment.

Her and Daniel technically don't live together.

A big emphasis on _technically._

She _technically_ lives in her van, but she sleeps over at his place every night. All her spare items are kept in his place. The decor of the place becomes more and more to her taste. Her favourite foods and drinks take over their fridge. The photos framed on the wall are hers too — not just the ones with Daniel, but her personal ones with the team.

But no, she technically doesn't live there.

She's not even sure if it's his mantra or hers at this point. If it's his old-fashioned ideas of the proper order of things or if a part of her is still keeping herself at a distance, just in case it all goes wrong.

That night, as she's curled around him, both theories sound kind of ridiculous. Any old-fashioned prospects were probably already thrown off course by the copious amounts of pre-marital sex they have. And she loves him, loves him so much.

She's all in, and she knows he is too.

  
  
  
  


**19:49  
** **july 21, 2024  
** **34.0928° N, 118.3287° W**

  
  


Time was a weird thing for them.

Daisy prefers not to think too hard about when they truly got together, because it was truly a heartache for the both of them, even if it ended happily. And they were sleeping together for a couple of weeks before that, with Daniel thinking they were an actual couple already.

But, their first kiss happened in a time loop, where time nor space really existed — and Daniel didn't really remember the existence of that.

So, they considered going with the date they first met, because the spark was instantaneous. But, there was a glaring issue with that one as well.

They know the exact date and minute they met in the S.H.I.E.L.D. office. That wasn't too tricky, but the fact that it was in 1955 makes it a bit harder to explain. Add along with the added fact that while today was July 21st, 2024 — exactly sixty-nine years in the future — they hadn't actually known each other for a year.

The technicalities of it all became too much and they ended up forgoing a formal anniversary, much to Daniel's dismay. Daisy never really cared for them herself.

But, she does agree to go on a date night with him for their not-so-technical anniversary, just because she knows he likes some tradition.

They go out to dinner on Hollywood Boulevard, which Daisy's a little surprised about, because he always found the modern version of it a little too flashy for his taste. She quickly finds out after dinner that he chose it because it's in close proximity to Hotel Roosevelt.

She recognizes it immediately, even though it's been nearly seventy years. Daniel stops right in front of it, nervously fiddling with his coat.

"It's been exactly sixty-nine years since we met," he tries to start with.

"Sixty-nine, huh? Is this going where I think it's going?" Daisy snickers and he frowns.

"I'm trying to be serious here," he chides. "You're awful."

"You love me for it!"

He sighs. "Yeah, I really, really do."

And then he gets down on one knee and the world just _stops._

Serious, indeed.

(This isn't entirely a surprise. They've discussed it before, especially considering how much more things were sped up in his time period.

In the end, they knew they've lost too much in their lifetimes to waste any more time.

So, no, it wasn't too fast for them.)

Daisy kicks herself a little for not realizing that this would be the night earlier, especially the second they ended up in front of the Roosevelt.

She supposes it's a true testament to how little she thinks like a spy now, vigilante or not.

Daniel clears his throat. "I couldn't get us into Area 51, but I figured this would be alright since it's where you technically saved my life. Which is tomorrow, but..." he trails off, his point made.

"If you waited a year, we would've hit exactly seventy years," she comments lightly. It's all she can think of to say.

Daniel frowns, still down on his knee. "Did you want me to wait a year? Because I can — "

"No," she interrupts. "I mean, no, now is good. Yes to the proposal. Sixty-nine is a good number. A _great_ number, actually, as we discussed."

"You gonna let me finish?" he asks as he levels her with an unamused look.

"I already said yes!" Daisy exclaims.

"Too bad, I have a whole speech," he tells her, a large smile on his face. She bites her lip, red tinting her cheeks, and she nods for him to continue. He clears his throat a little awkwardly and holds the ring box up. "Daisy Johnson, will you marry me?"

Daisy tries to keep herself from laughing. "I thought you said you had a whole speech."

"I decided it didn't matter," he clarifies, "because you already said yes."

She lowers down to his level quickly and kisses him hard. He pulls her closer, pouring everything he's got into the kiss. When she pulls away, he beams.

"You're such a square," she tells him fondly.

"You love me for it," he says.

"Yeah, I do." She pulls him into another kiss but he quickly pulls back, indicating the ring box he's still got in his hands. She understands immediately, and holds her hand out.

He slides the ring onto her finger and it's the most perfect anything has ever fit her.

  
  
  
  


**15:05  
** **july 22, 2024  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


They get married in Las Vegas by Merlin the next day.

It shouldn't be a surprise, really, because when Daisy decides she wants something, she stops at nothing to get it.

(That morning, she woke Daniel up with a passionate kiss and told him to dress nicely.

"We met in Nevada yesterday and I saved your life in California today. Anniversary-wise, I mean. I think it'd be fitting if, since you proposed in California yesterday, we got married in Nevada today," Daisy explained.

"Wait," he started, "you want to get married right now?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you wanna wait?"

"No," he admitted.

And that was that.)

So, they drove up to Vegas that morning in their nicest clothes.

Somehow, Deke catches wind of the whole thing and meets them there. She later finds out that Daniel tipped him off, and he brought the whole team.

Well, sort of.

Deke's assistants hold up large tablets, which hold the faces of Fitz and Simmons and Mack and Elena. Daisy, for maybe the first time ever, bursts into tears out of pure happiness.

There's no May, but she does get an unmarked email as soon as the ceremony is over.

_Congratulations. Coulson would be proud._

"You sap," she says to Daniel after.

"For you, always," he responds sweetly. "And besides, you're the one who chose Merlin to marry us because our relationship is _magic_ ," he teases.

She has a half-laugh-half-sob at that.

They're husband and wife now. She can't believe it.

  
  
  
  


**18:49  
** **july 22, 2024  
** **36.1671° N, 115.1356° W**

  
  


"We'll take your nicest couples' suit!" Daniel says grandly as they reach the reception desk.

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist starts, "we only have one room available. It's a two-bed — both twins. Will that be alright?"

His face falls. "But it's our wedding night," he says, a little defeated. Daisy just laughs and laughs, because _of course._

They make good use out of both beds that night.

  
  
  
  


**12:39  
** **december 9, 2024  
** **34.0522° N, 118.2437° W**

  
  


Married life suits them well.

The day after the wedding, Daisy officially moved in with Daniel — which just means they call it _their_ apartment instead of _his_ apartment. Nothing else really changes. He's still at his office job and she's still a freelance coding-and-security consultant by day and a vigilante by day.

Now, she calls him husband and he calls her wife, which means everything in the world to them.

But something is missing from their lives. It's not in their relationship — everything between them is as perfect as can be. No, instead they have a mutual void that haunts them.

They miss the adventure.

"Belgium's nice," Daisy says, while they're recalling some of the best places they've been in their previous lives. "Great chocolate."

Daniel shakes his head very quickly at that, expression filled with distaste. "Lost my leg there, I don't recommend it."

"But the chocolate!" she explains.

He sighs. "Fine, for the chocolate."

She grins.

It takes him longer to think of his place. "Space," he decides finally.

"Well, that's cheating! I could say Kitson, but these are supposed to be places we can actually go!"

"I don't think Kitson is your favorite destination," he points out and she shrugs.

"Hey, those puffies might have been awful, but man, do I miss them," she says. He gives her a pointed look. "Fine, space. The stars are so beautiful, yada yada."

"Not the stars," he tells her. "You."

She blushes. "'Cause that's where Mack told you that I was into you?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"God, you're so sexy when you're being sappy," she tells him as she climbs into his lap and slants her lips over his.

He chuckles and wraps his arms around her. "I think you just have a big ego," he whispers between kisses.

She pulls away to say, "Take that back!"

"Or you'll quake me?" he teases, and she has half the mind to tell him _yes, exactly that,_ but then he puts his lips on her neck and she doesn't have it in her to follow through.

  
  
  
  


**09:21  
** **january 1, 2025  
** **34.0522° N, 118.2437° W**

  
  


So, they decide to travel the world.

They end their apartment's lease and Daniel quits his job. He starts working for some secret organization. He can't tell Daisy the details, and she trusts him enough to not ask. She knows he would spill everything to her if she did.

She has a suspicion who it's for anyway.

She gets an encoded message from the same person every other day. She's turned him down once. She ignores the rest.

And so, they drive.

  
  
  
  


**09:21  
** **january 1, 2025  
** **42.5558° N, 114.4701° W**

  
  


They go on another road trip, like the good old times.

This one isn't nearly as long. They go to Idaho, to Daniel's hometown.

(They've discussed this for ages — he'd been morbidly curious how much his home town has changed — but neither of them had the time before.)

It isn't as much of a disappointment as he thought it would be, which is a relief. It's not the exact town he left behind seventy years ago, but it's kept a lot of its charm.

They find his parents' burial plot.

"My mom died a few weeks before I met you, did I tell you that?"

Daisy shakes her head lightly.

(She had known that his mother died before he was taken from his timeline, but she had never realized how recent it was for him at the time. But, in hindsight, it makes a lot of sense. He had pushed her to take the moment with Jiaying, probably because the loss was still fresh to him. And he knew exactly what to say and what to do right after she lost her mom.)

So, he mourns all over again. She holds him close, supporting him in the way he supported her endlessly throughout all their time together.

She thinks about how losing Coulson was the closest she came to truly mourn a parent. She thinks about how surprisingly much she missed Jiaying, even though she barely knew her, and she turned out to be a not-great person. She can't understand what it must be like to lose a mother who was there all along.

In the end, Daisy finds the need to visit Afterlife within herself. To honor her mother in some way.

Daniel cries for the past loss of his mother, the expected loss of his father, and the overwhelming feeling that consumes him when he is reminded of the gravity of what happened to him. He whispers that he loves her so much, that he wouldn't change a thing, but he can't help but grieve for the life that he left behind.

She understands.

She doesn't let go as he cries.

  
  
  
  


**06:14  
** **february 4, 2025  
** **51.5074° N, 0.1278° W**

  
  


Daniel hasn't been on a modern public airplane yet, and the whole thing catches him by surprise.

"There's so much security," he says in distaste.

Deke did offer his use of his private jet, which Daisy immediately turned down to Daniel's confusion. She knows Deke would use it as an excuse to "pop in" every now and then (which really will just turn into him joining the trip entirely), and Daisy's had enough of him. She loves him, he's like the super annoying little brother she's never had, but god, she just wants to be alone with Daniel for this.

He's been on the Zephyr, he's been on a quinjet, he's been in Deke's private jet, he's even been on a _Chromicon spaceship_ for goodness sake, but a regular aircraft...

Then, "Wow," when they're in the crowded plane. "Now, this is something else."

Daisy gives him an amused look with a raised eyebrow at that.

  
  
  
  


**14:52  
** **april 29, 2025  
** **51.5074° N, 0.1278° W**

  
  


They visit Peggy Carter's grave while in London.

It's definitely a little odd for Daisy, but not because she feels insecure. She and Daniel have shared so much about each other and she knows all about his exes — she knows that he loved them, but that his love for her triumphed all.

No, what makes it weird is that it forces her to think about how her and Daniel were technically never supposed to meet. He was supposed to die in the '50s and she was supposed to stay in the twenty-first century. And even if he hadn't died — if they saved him in some other way — he would've become old and gray before she was even born.

Time travel is _weird._

"If you want to be alone — "

"No, it's fine," Daniel assures her. "I just want to say some kind of goodbye, you know?"

So, he does just that. They're there for a significant amount of time, until Daisy sees an old man observing them from a distance. He looks strangely familiar, but she can't quite place it. She taps Daniel's shoulder delicately and subtly tilts her head. "Someone's watching us," she tells him suspiciously.

Daniel squints his eyes and then suddenly widens them. "It can't be..." he whispers. Then, he gets up and walks over, leaving Daisy a little confused.

The two men have a surprisingly long conversation. They both seem tearful, and Daisy feels the temptation to go over and figure out what exactly is going on, but she feels like this isn't a moment to interrupt. So, she waits.

Eventually, the two shake hands and Daniel makes his way back to her.

"Who was that?" Daisy asks curiously.

"An old friend," Daniel responds. "I've met him only once, really, at Peggy's wedding."

"Why was he there?" she pushes.

He smiles. "He was the groom."

Daisy's eyes widen. "You mean, that's — "

"Yup."

  
  
  
  


**10:39  
** **may 13, 2025  
** **56.4907° N, 4.2026° W**

  
  


Of course, they finally visit Fitz and Simmons in person.

Daisy has an exciting ache in her stomach which translates to nervousness. The couple lives in the cutest little cottage in Scotland and Daisy's heart swells when she sees it. She knows it's what they've always wanted.

The duo greets them enthusiastically at the door and all the nervousness goes away. It's suddenly like all those years ago, hanging out with them between missions, having the one semblance of peace and happiness in a life of tragedy.

Daniel, of course, fits seamlessly with them. He starts off the tiniest bit awkward — mainly around Fitz, as the two barely met — but he quickly gets along with them and most especially falls in love with their little one.

Their kid has grown up so much already.

Daisy never knows how to act around kids. She's got some experience from her years at the orphanage, but she still feels awkward around them. Daniel, however, seems to have no such qualms, immediately becoming that kid's new favorite person and he accepts his fate willingly.

Simmons gives her such a knowing look as they observe their husbands doting over the kid.

"What?" Daisy asks with a smile.

Simmons smiles. "I'm glad you're happy. It's been a long time coming."

"It has," Daisy agrees. She can't deny it. She regularly wonders if all her past heartbreaks were purely to bring her here, to this moment. Somehow, this man out of time has become her perfect partner in every way possible.

"And he has impeccable taste in rings, might I add," Simmons says as she observes Daisy's left hand. "Or did you choose?"

"Old-fashioned, remember?" Daisy teases. "Though, he has adjusted to modern life very well."

"I've heard," Simmons whispers, eyebrows wiggling. Daisy smacks her arm.

"Goddamn _Deke_!"

They can't help but laugh after that.

Maybe the team doesn't exist anymore, but she's glad to still have her friends through it all.

  
  
  
  


**23:04  
** **may 19, 2025  
** **56.4907° N, 4.2026° W**

  
  


They've spent a week with FitzSimmons and Alya, and Daisy is starting to get attached. She suspects that Daniel is as well.

They discussed children fairly early in their relationship and it was a fairly easy conversation. After a lifetime of wars and spying and _space,_ children weren't really on their agenda. Plus, she didn't think a vigilante would be the best occupation for a mother. But, after seeing the adorable little child that FitzSimmons dote on...

"Hey," she whispers. She taps on Daniel and he quickly turns to her.

"What is it?" he asks.

She hesitates. "I know we talked about not having children, but..."

"You're having second thoughts," he finishes. He looks at her deadpan, giving no emotion away. Daisy suddenly worries that maybe they're not on the same page on this, like they are on pretty much anything else.

"I don't know, I just — "

Daniel kisses her then, soft and sweet. "Hey, I would love to have a kid with you," he tells her honestly. "But if you don't want to, that's fine with me, too."

She smiles and kisses him again, because he's just the most wonderful man she's ever met. "Honestly, I don't know. But seeing Alya, I just... You know."

"I felt it too," he confesses. "And maybe we'll have our own. I wouldn't mind a mini-you or mini-me."

Daisy bites her lip softly. "That's, uh, the thing, actually. When I was younger, I always imagined having a family, but... Not mine?" she says lamely, not knowing how to express it. He gives her a confused look, so she puts it plainly, "I would want to adopt."

"Oh," he says, a little surprised, but not unhappy. He seems touched, really.

"Just, growing up in the foster system, I would want to save a kid from that," she tells him. He kisses her again. "Not to discount a mini-me or mini-you. Maybe that'll come, too."

"You know I'm happy to follow you into any adventure," he says and she laughs.

  
  
  
  


**09:53  
** **january 1, 2026  
** **[ classified ]**

  
  


They arrive at Afterlife, to see it was ruined and abandoned after Malick's attacks. They suspected as much, but it still hurts to see.

Daisy thinks back to Raina's prediction all those years ago, about how it was her destiny to run Afterlife. To lead the Inhumans.

So, she vows to recreate the sanctuary that her mother called home. And, of course, Daniel simply agrees and begins to help. He's happy to do so, finding a purpose in himself while at it.

Piece by piece, they rebuild Afterlife.

And then they wait.

Mack and Elena are the first to come. Sure enough, they have a little boy with them. His name is Emmanuel and he's adorable.

"We're trying to give him a normal life," Mack tells her later, "but he's still an Inhuman. He should grow up learning what that means."

Daisy vows that she will find a way to balance both.

  
  
  
  


**13:47  
** **march 21, 2026  
** **[ classified ]**

  
  


And, sure enough, an Inhuman with teleportation powers soon finds them.

His power is different from Gordon's — less grand, less noticeable; he can make two identical items into portal devices (like 'Harry Potter', Daniel notes) — and it's perfect.

He brings a group of Inhumans in his wake. Apparently, after Afterlife was destroyed and many of their friends had died or left, a subset of them continued on the tradition.

One of them has the power to know of other Inhumans. He writes lists of names of generations to come, along with their birth info and what power they will have. It takes the mystery away and training potential Inhumans how to harness their gift before the change becomes so much easier.

It's fitting that Yo-Yo's son will have the ability to slow others down with just a touch.

She's also not that entirely surprised when she sees that another MacKenzie will be born in two years' time — a little girl named Faith that has the power to influence mechanics. The irony is a little too real there.

Daisy isn't sure whether or not to feel disappointed that she never finds a Sousa on the list. She and Daniel decided a long time ago that they had their hands full with Afterlife and they're content with the direction life has taken them. Plus, adoption will always be on the table.

Another name _does_ catch her eye, though, and she's filled with intrigue.

So, she waits.

  
  
  
  


**21:38  
** **august 12, 2029  
** **[ classified ]**

  
  


It takes time.

Afterlife is rebuilt and it's going strong.

A few live there full time, because they don't have anywhere else to go. Daisy takes special care of those ones, because she knows what it's like.

Most of the group travel between the portals, which have been set up in their houses. They live normal lives, but they always find themselves visiting, because Afterlife is their _home._

They have a community of people here — a family.

One day she and Daniel are having a quiet moment at the gate, looking up at the stars and thinking about life. They've been married for five years now. They haven't yet officially had a kid or even adopted, but Daisy's made it her personal mission to scope out orphans around the world for Inhuman powers. To bring them somewhere they belonged.

In a way, those kids see her and Daniel as their parents.

("Do you regret it?" Daisy asked him.

"Which part?" he asked in return. She wasn't entirely sure what she was asking for herself. "It doesn't matter," he said, "because I don't regret any of it. Not a single moment. You?"

"I don't regret it either.")

She'll spend the rest of her life with this man and she'll love every single second of it.

Then, Daniel sees something — or _someone_ — and tugs at her shoulder lightly.

"It's her," he whispers.

She knows exactly who he's talking about. The girl from the list, the one she keeps looking back to. The girl with the power to counteract the Earth.

She turns around suddenly and sees a familiar face. A face she thought she'd never want to see again, because it brings up so many emotions in her, but this time, she just feels _glad._

It's all led to this. She grabs onto Daniel's hand and he grips back tightly as they go to meet their guest.

It's Cal's daughter.

"Hi," the girl says shyly. "My name is Daisy Johnson. I was told to find you."

Daisy smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me editing this after the finale to actually say FitzSimmons' baby's name. EDIT: There we go. Also, I'm crying.
> 
> Daisy 2.0 is basically an Earthbender.
> 
> Oh, goodness. This really is the end now, isn't it? Well, I hope everyone's enjoyed this fic. It was amazing to write and I have a feeling I'll start another multichapter fic after the finale is over. I just can't help myself with these two!
> 
> I truly appreciate all the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and general love this fic has received. I'm kind of blown away by it, actually! Thank you all very much for joining me on this amazing journey.
> 
> Good luck to everyone with the finale tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all input is appreciated.
> 
> [Be sure to check out my new Dousy fic!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26360473/) It's a superhero AU (I mean, a different kind of superhero AU from canon). I'm kind of really proud of it.


End file.
